


dissonance

by blademontrose



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Bucky as Hades, F/M, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Hellenistic Religion & Lore), Persephone!Reader, Poseidon!Bruce, Reader as Persephone (Hellenistic Religion & Lore), Zeus!Thor, hades!bucky, mythology AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 22:57:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17907278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blademontrose/pseuds/blademontrose
Summary: There’s something about the girl with flowers that fascinates the God of the Underworld.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, this fic was posted to my tumblr @killmongerdreams. Decided to bring it over here, too.

 

> _"Who knew that Hades possessed a weakness? You are the man with no soul; you are the man who has a hole where his heart should be. There is nothing but a cavern in your chest - no humanity to strip away the bitter darkness that consumes you._
> 
> _It seems you have proven our assumptions wrong, dear King. For you watch the girl with the flowers in her hair and innocence in her eyes, fascinated with the way she conjures life, giving everything around her a brightness you’ve never witnessed before."_

* * *

She is a dainty little creature with flowers in her hair and an aura filled to the brim with a lively happiness that makes James sick to his stomach. He stands at the edge of the forest, hidden away in the shadows as he watches the girl pick flowers. The basket in her hand already overflows with the monstrous plants, and James wants nothing more to knock it out of her grasp. 

She sings a sweet, sweet melody that grates in James’ ear. The tune is about life, about the wonders of creation. It makes his skin crawl to listen to the uplifting lyrics, yet he stays put, icy eyes watching the girl with the intensity of a crow. 

He has no idea why he’s here, wasting his time watching someone so irritating. He wants to leave, wants to bide his time somewhere full of misery. 

For a reason that’s lost to him, James stays, listening to the girl sing her sweet, sweet melody and pick flowers.


	2. one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King of Death has a run in with Life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of short, but they get longer as this progresses.

The girl was of godly descent, that much he knows. Her aura emanated raw, unfiltered power, so thick that James could taste it on his tongue. Innocence surrounds it, making it soft and clear and maddeningly bright. It clashes with his own, pushing against his vile darkness with enough pressure to make his teeth clatter.  

How she doesn’t notice the wickedness lurking at the edge of the forest exceeds his comprehension. James makes no move to hide his power, letting it roam free in forest. It does not dare to touch the meadow for her ethereal ambiance keeps it at bay.  

There, at the seam where rotted trees meet vibrant wildflowers, a battle between radiance and malice commenced, fighting against one another for the dominion of the land.  

It seems as if she has no idea of what’s happening, no idea of the power she’s exerting.  

The girl merely traipses across the grass, humming under her breath as she picks her cherished flowers. James flexes his mind, opposing her force as hard as he could manage. For a moment, her invisible shield yields and James watches as the flowers in his path wilt and decay. Just as the trail touches the back of her bare feet, he’s hit with a whirlwind of power being thrown back at him, ground shaking as light is hurdled in his face, blinding him.

James is nearly thrown off his feet from the sheer strength of it.

When he blinks back the spots in his vision, he finds that the field thrives once more, teeming with more flowers than it started with.  

“I do not appreciate beings who hurt plants.” she calls out suddenly. Her voice is a high soprano, sugary sweet and it grates in James’ ear. He steps back a few more feet, shrouding himself further in the blankets of the trees. She laughs. “I know you’re there! I can feel you.”

She  _is_  aware of her powers, then.  

James rolls his eyes as the girl turns in his general direction, looking around expectantly. He could leave, vanish into the wretches of the Underworld and she would never lay eyes on him, would never know who he is.  

He doesn’t understand why he ventures out into the sun, letting himself be seen. Her eyes grow wide as she stares at him, taking in the pale, ghostly complexion of his skin, the darkness of his clothes and hair, the chilling ice of his pale eyes. All it takes is a fleeting glance at the ring on his left hand –  _a diamond skull with blood red eyes_  – for her to scramble away, tripping over her feet to put distance between them.  

James can’t help but smile when she falls, back hitting the soft grass underneath her. “Hello, little one.” His voice is a low tenor, a rough, raspy contrast to her smooth, velvety one. He reaches a hand out to help her stand, chuckling at the tremble wracking her body. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”

_Unless you give me reason to_ , he adds silently.

Where he stands is a perfect circle of rot, brown, mottled flowers crushed beneath his leather shoes. She regards him warily, heart beating so hard that James could hear it plain as day. “W-what are you doing here?” she questions. “Why are you hurting my flowers?”

“I’m not doing it intentionally.” he bends down, brushing the petal of a sunflower with his pinky. It immediately withers away, the plant shriveling up into a gnarled mess. “It’s just what my presence does to anything.. _.living_.”

“I don’t like it.” she frowns. “They’ve done nothing wrong.”

James would beg to differ. He  _loathes_  flowers and the happiness they bring to other beings. If he had it his way, the universe would be nothing but a barren wasteland.

But creatures like this one make his dream harder to achieve. The girl peers up at him with the eyes of a doe, sad at the prospect of harm being inflicted her precious plants. James bites back a groan, palm itching to give her something to really be miserable about.

“My apologies, little one.” he murmurs instead. She tilts her head in consideration, looking at the desolate space under his feet. James watches, aghast as vines start to grow up the length of his leg, roses sprouting as they inch higher and higher over his body. “What are you doing?”

They decompose as quickly as they grow, falling to the ground in ruined, brittle pieces. The girl pouts.  

“Can you make it stop?” she asks him. “The killing?”

“How do you suppose I do that, little one?” he retorts drily. “ _Turn off my powers_?”

“Think about giving  _life_  to the environment rather than taking it away.” she suggests. “That’s what I do to make things grow.”

James fights the urge to bare his teeth at her, to scare away the little nuisance. Nonetheless, he closes his eyes and indulges her request, curiosity piqued. He never figured to think in such a way, perhaps she could be right. He focuses on the Sun’s rays beating down on him, thinks about letting the light permeate his soul and making him flourish.  

The girl gasps.  Peeking open an eye, he looks down, seeing the grass slowly restore underneath his shoes. He schools his surprised with a coolly raised eyebrow, looking at her with a practiced indifference.

“It seems as if you were right, little one.” he remarks quietly. He sinks to the ground, running his fingers through the emerald blades, watching as it maintains it’s life in his hands.  She sits beside him, smiling to herself victoriously.  

“See?” she says softly. “You can make things come alive, too.”

_Who would’ve imagined that the King of Death could create life?_


	3. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pixies in the forest.

> _Confused, you sit, eyeing the girl made of pollen and naivety with affection growing in your stone cold chest._

* * *

 

James comes to find that the girl’s name is Y/N. He spends a lot of his days with her, sitting quietly in the meadow beyond the forest, watching as she influences the greenery around her. While James is not a fluent as she is in the magic of restoration - unable to reproduce life at the truly alarming rate she can - he  _can_ keep things from dying in his presence. That fact makes her undeniably happy, joyed at the thought of her plants suffering no more at his hand.

He takes refuge from the sun under the cool shade of an oak tree, suit jacket discarded in the grass next to him. The sleeves of his impeccably white dress shirt are shoved up to his elbows, giving Y/N the freedom to ogle the tattoos decorating his fair skin. 

She crouches on the ground in front of him, eyes shining with childlike curiosity. He extends an arm without a word, letting her trace the ink with shy, dirt-stained fingertips. 

The ones she seems most enamored with is with the words scripted across the length of his forearm. Her eyebrows furrow as she tries to mime the words.

“It’s Latin, little one.” he explains. “ _Datur moralitas_. It means no morality.”

“You’re a  _God_ , surely you must have  _some_ semblance of morals.” Y/N fires back at him. “Divinity goes hand-in-hand with a moral conscience.”

James raises an eyebrow, chuckling darkly. “I am King of the  _Underworld._ Life shrivels at my mere appearance. What makes you think I have morals?”

Y/N shrugs, and the next thing he knows, there’s a crown made of roses sitting atop his head. “I’m not dead yet. That has to count for something.”

She taps him on the nose as she stands, grabbing her basket and skipping away merrily. He watches as she goes, ultimately bemused, gently touching the fragile ornament in his hair. 

There are no thorns.

“What a strange creature she is.” James murmurs to himself. She starts to sing quietly, and James can’t help roll his eyes at the uplifting, irritating lyrics he’s heard a million times over now. “She’s also annoying.”

* * *

The sky turns darker quicker than either of them anticipated, illuminating the Earth with the light of the stars and moon. While the meadow is full of life during the day, it seems to be even more animated when bathed in darkness, the creatures of the night coming out to play.

Y/N sits down next to him with a smile on her face, eyes alight with wonder as she witnesses another world entirely. A pixie flutters in front of them, glowing red around the edges. She waves once, tilting her head inquisitively at the pair. 

Y/N holds out a single finger, and James watches silently. The little pixie slowly inches her way towards the girl and once she’s in arms reach, she places her tiny hands on top of it. She leans down, and with a soft, tinkling giggle, she presses a chaste kiss to Y/N’s knuckle. 

“What was that for?” Y/N’s face is unbelievably happy, and James has to look away from the intensity of it. 

It’s like looking directly into the sun.

“You’re the keeper of our forest.” the pixie explains in a childish, high-pitched timbre. She spins quickly, gold dusting flying every which way. “You take care of our home. You are our  _Queen.”_

“ _Me? A Queen?_ ” Y/N repeats, surprised. “I am no Queen.”

“You are with a King.” the pixie points to James, gesturing to the crown he still adorns.The roses glow white as the pixie waves her hand. “You gave him a crown. You made him your King.”

“I suppose so.” Y/N muses quietly. James fights the urge to do a double-take, watching the girl watch him. Her expression is still genial, still so joyful and innocent. She shows no malice towards the thought of him being her King - of her being his Queen.

The heart James didn’t know he possessed stutters momentarily. 

The pixie smiles at him knowingly. 


	4. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the bough breaks.

> _You crave to make her your Queen - the Mistress of Death, the manipulator of your soul. The innocence that binds her in chains you wish to break, to free her mind, her body, her soul. You want to smudge the purity of her heart so that it matches yours. The thought drives you_ **mad** _._

* * *

 

After the encounter with the pixie, James catches himself admiring the young goddess more and more as the days pass. He’s absolutely disgusted with himself as he takes note of the flowers braided in her hair, the way his chest aches at the way she passes smiles at him like they cost her nothing.

Happiness isn’t a chore for her like it is for him. Sometimes he envies her jubilant attitude, how easy it is for her to forget terrible things, how easy it is for her to  _forgive_  the wrongdoings life bestows upon her.

James growls low in his throat, glaring at of Y/N’s peaceful, infuriatingly beautiful face as she lies in the grass a few feet away from him, singing that wretched, melodious song to herself quietly. She peeks open an eye at the sound, gazing at him curiously. “What’s your problem?” she nudges his thigh with bare toes. “You’re broodier than usual.”

An unexpected, violent flash of anger licks up his spine. The grass around him begins to brown. She sits up, frowning in disapproval. “ _James._ ”

“Do you  _really_ want to know what my problem is?” Y/N’s eyes go wide as his flash crimson, flickering between the bloody hue and his iridescent blue like a broken record. James moves quicker than his hound, caging her against the wilting grass and his trembling body. Y/N sucks in a fearful gasp, heart thudding so hard against her chest that James can hear it.

The sound makes James grin, revealing a mouthful of sharp, deadly teeth. She  _should_  be frightened.

He leans down, biting roughly at her earlobe. “You’re my fucking  _problem_ , little one.” His voice is unrecognizable, a demonic rumble in her ears.

James can feel her power, feels it simmer underneath her skin like electricity. It’s a frantic buzz, pushing against his rage desperately. “That’s not going to work.” he laughs darkly. “Not when I’m like this.”

“W-what did I do?” Y/N asks frantically. She thrusts her hands against his shoulders, squirming underneath his body in an attempt to flee.

“You’re an annoying little nuisance.” he berates, snarling in her face. “You’re everything I fucking  _loathe_.”

Y/N whimpers, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. James drags his tongue over the salty trail as it streams down her cheek. “I-I’m sorry.” she sobs, shaking. “I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

“I’m going to make you  _sorry_ , little one.” James sits up suddenly, back against the tree as he pulls her over his lap. One hand fists her hair as the other one holds her to him, his iron grip allowing her no freedom to move. She cries out in pain as he jerks her head back to bare her neck to him. “ _Shut up._ ”

His teeth sink brutally into the tender skin underneath her jaw and she jolts in his hold, hands pulling as his hair in a feeble attempt to yank his head away. James pulls back with a mouth stained redder than her favorite rose, a stark, terrifying contrast to the perfect white of his teeth.

The image before her is the James of legend. The cruel, ruthless King of the Underworld. The incarnation of  _Hades_.

“You want to know what you did to me, little one?” James asks. He trails his fingers over the bloody indention of his mouth, watching as it trails down her skin, staining the top of her pretty dress. “You made me  _want_  you.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Y/N tells him. He grips her thigh with enough force to bruise, pulling her closer against his body. She yelps at the pain, curling in on herself, forehead pressed against his shoulder. “I didn’t do anything.” she repeats, weaker this time. “Don’t hurt me,  _please_.”

The anger boiling in James’ body immediately dissipates. Horror quickly creeps into his bones as he freezes, his blood running cold as he cradles her gently, arms encircling her back in a caress rather than a cage. She cries softly, trying not to anger the god more than she already has.

“I’m sorry.” she whispers. “Don’t hurt me.”

James kisses the crown of her head, dread seeping into his pores. He shushes her gently. “It’s okay, little one.” his voice is warped with guilt. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

He holds her until her trembling subsides, her body slack with the exhaustion. James, as gingerly as he can manage, slides her off of him, laying her in the grass with the utmost care, listening to her ragged breathing as he fights the urge to pull an Icarus and fling himself into the sun.

James sits there until the sun sets upon the horizon, letting the night fall over him before he rises to his feet, shucking his jacket to drape over her sleeping form before he disappears into the trees.


	5. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology is issued.

For a week, James doesn’t make an appearance anywhere near the forest. For those seven days, Y/N lets her power scour farther than she’s ever reached, trying to seek out the heavy, daunting darkness she grew so fond of being near. It was like a second nature to feel him, feel his wickedness clash against her presence in an unusual yet mesmerizing dance. 

On the eighth day, she finds him standing at the border of where the forest meets the meadow. He’s paler than usual, with dark bags shadowing his dull eyes. He’s not even as immaculately dressed like he enjoys, abandoning his three piece, specially tailored suit in favor of a red, wrinkled dress shirt and slacks. 

James crosses the threshold into the meadow slowly, unwavering gaze trained on the girl kneeling in the grass. She’s weaving flowers into her hair, the pale pink hue of the carnations matching the fabric of her dress. Her fingers pause as she watches him stop a few feet away from her.

“James.” she greets coolly, ignoring the relief that floods her being. This man  _hurt_  her; she should not find comfort in his presence. He is a monster, yet all she wants is to offer him comfort in her arms.  

“Hello, little one.” His eyes fall to the scarring at the base of her neck, sees the dark bruising surrounding the imprint of his teeth. Though he’s struck with guilt, he can’t help but feel a little smug at the fact that it is  _his_  mark that her skin bears.  

“Why are you here?”  

“I came to… _apologize_.” The word sounds like it pains him to say. Y/N imagines he’s never apologized to anyone in his entire life. “I come bearing a gift for you, little one.” 

Y/N scoffs.  _Surely_  he doesn’t think that a gift will make everything alright. 

James closes the distance between them a little bit further, kneeling in the grass in front of her. He reaches into his pocket, tugging out a chain. He offers her his opened hand, letting her get a look at her supposed ‘gift.’

It’s a necklace, the silver shining in the sunlight. Attached to the chain is a little cage, housing a bird made out of white a glimmering red stone. Y/N reaches for it gently, eye alight with wonder. It’s a beautiful piece of jewelry. 

“I, uh,” he clears his throat in embarrassment. “I made it. That’s why I was away for so long.”

He  _made_  this _?_

“It’s pretty.” Y/N breathes. “What’s the bird made of? I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“It’s made out of hellstone, little one. Very hard to come by.” James smirks a little. “I had to call in a few favors to get my hands on it.” 

James peers at her curiously, eyes big and hopeful. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, actually.” James graces her with a pleased smile, and Y/N has to ignore the way her heart flutters. He looks so peaceful when he smiles.

“May I?” she turns, holding up her hair to let him clasp the necklace around her neck. The cage comes to rest in the hollow of her throat. She holds it gently between her fingers, smiling to herself. 

“Thank you, James.” she says, facing. “Though I do want an explanation. Why did you hurt me?” 

James sighs, tracing his fingers along the worst of the bruising. “I do not know how to deal with these  _feelings_.” his lip curls in disgust. “They are confusing.”

Y/N looks at him sharply. “What  _feelings_?” 

He grasps her hands, teeth worrying his bottom lip fiercely. He seems nervous in a way, taking a deep breath to steel himself. Y/N dares to think it’s endearing. It’s far much better than seeing him angry. 

“I…care for you, little one.” James admits, voice strained. “I’ve never cared for someone in all of my years. I was  _overwhelmed_ by these sensations. These emotions made me angry because I didn’t understand them.”

“Do you understand them now?” Y/N’s voice is small. He kisses her knuckles, nodding slightly.  

“For the most part, yes.” he says. “I am truly sorry, little one. I did not mean to take out my confusion on you. I will spend the rest of my life making up for this.” 

He looks truly guilty, a self-loathing storm brewing in his eyes. He’s terrified that she won’t accept him, that she’ll never want to share his company ever again. 

He will be alone once more if she decides to make him go away for good. 

Y/N is quiet, regarding him with a blank stare that shakes him to the core. James closes his eyes, waiting for her to berate him, to scream at him that his apology is pathetic, that he’s pathetic for coming back here. Instead, she holds his face in her hands as if he is one of her delicate flowers, pressing her lips to his forehead sweetly. 

James’ eyes fly open in shock, warmth flooding his cheeks. For the love of the Gods, this woman is making him blush. He truly has lost his edge. “What was that for, little one?”

Y/N smiles. “I forgive you.”

James’ answering smile is bright and merry, colored with relief. He brushes a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, reveling in the softness of her skin. “May I kiss you, little one?” he asks, gaze dropping to her lips. They’re plush, parted just the tiniest bit.

She nods shyly, tilting her chin up. Her eyes flutter closed as James closes the distance, fitting his mouth against hers. He’s gentle, kissing her as soft as he can manage, tongue flicking over her bottom lip once before he pulls away.

Now it’s her turn to blush. 

“Was that your first kiss, little one?” He dares to ask. She nods once more.  

James can’t help the pride that bubbles in his chest.


	6. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Go where your heart takes you.

> _The stories say you kidnapped the precious flower girl. Little did they know that she was the one who came to you._

* * *

 

Y/N slowly walks through the forest, following the tiny, secluded path to her cottage. It’s a quaint home, just enough to house her and her things. One might call it suffocating, but Y/N thought it was perfect, her safe-haven away from the hectic hustle and bustle of civilization. The war to acquire the humble abode was a tough one, a battle with her mother that truly never came to an end. 

_To reside in the human world_ , Demeter would say,  _is poisonous to a god_. _We only help them live in it, not help them preserve it._

Y/N thought the notion was ludicrous. The Earth was a beautiful place, thriving and brimming to the edges with life. The Earth was her personal playground, a blank canvas that Y/N could paint on. 

The young girl pushed the door to her home open, humming a tune under her breath as she set down her basket. Someone cleared their throat, and Y/N’s head flies up, eyes widening as her heart fell to her feet. Looking as elegant and terrifying as ever was her mother, eyes shining with perpetual disapproval. Y/N slowly stood up, back ramrod straight as she tried - and failed - to meet Demeter’s gaze.

“To what do I owe this honor, mother?” Y/N asked. The sarcasm she so desperately tried to contain dripped from her words like venom. The giddiness she always felt when in James’ presence dissipated immediately, leaving the girl weary and irritable. 

“Can I not visit my own daughter?” Demeter returned in kind, equally as scathing. “It has been ages since I last visited you in this… _place_.” She cast a disdainful look around the tiny living room, wrinkling her nose in distaste. Y/N wants to open up a hole in the ground and let it swallow her whole.

“I am tired. Can this not wait until morning?” Y/N pleads. She can feel her eyelids growing heavy, exhaustion creeping into her bones. 

“ _No_ , it cannot.” the goddess declared. Her eyes narrowed into a nasty glare, the expression rivaling that of her beloved’s. When her sights fell to the necklace sitting idly against her collarbone, Y/N could feel her entire body seize up in terror. “Where did you get that?”

“Someone made it for me.” It technically wasn’t a lie. James did physically make the gift for her. The thought makes her cheeks warm. 

“Who?” Without giving her a chance to answer, Demeter barrels on. “It was  _him,_ wasn’t it? The filth that runs the Underworld? That is hellstone, is it not?”

“ _He_  has a  _name._ ” Y/N mumbles, indignant. “It’s James.”

“I do not  _care_ what his name is. And it won’t concern you anymore, either.” Demeter scowls. 

The expression accentuates the slight wrinkles on her face. For a supposed immortal goddess, Demeter’s age was starting to catch up with her after all this time. It would take a long while - perhaps thousands of more years - before she truly looked old, but Y/N took comfort in the fact that her mother was indeed not perfect. “You are never to see that vermin again.”

Y/N gasps, suddenly feeling wide awake. She couldn’t. “But I love him!” Both mother and daughter are caught surprised at the abrupt change in volume. No longer docile, she glares at her mother with a fierceness that she’s never felt before. “You can’t do this!”

Demeter raises an eyebrow, a gesture that should have Y/N flinching back in fear. Usually that look was accompanied by a harsh slap. Y/N merely juts her chin out, stubbornness hardening her features. “You are  _my_ child, Y/N.” Demeter says coolly. “I decide what you can and cannot do.”

“I am not a child anymore!” Y/N yells, unable to help herself. She’d been containing this outburst for too long. “You cannot dictate my entire life! I have lived with the humans for ages now! I can fend for myself!”

“Obviously not, since you are the devil’s  _whore.”_ Demeter spits. She’s never seen her mother so livid, nor has she herself ever felt this extent of rage. “The daughter that I raised would not be that imbecilic and associate herself with that kind of infidel.”

“I am no whore, mother.” Tears stream down her cheeks. Whether it’s a product of her rage or from hurt, Y/N is not certain. “He loves me.”

Demeter’s answering laugh is harsh and mocking. “That man is soulless, my dear. He knows nothing of love.”

“Then I will teach him.” Something unknown always possesses the ability to be taught. 

“You ignorant little fool.” Demeter sighs. Cupping her daughter’s face, she shakes her head, eyes suddenly turning sad. “You will find out soon enough what kind of monster you are dealing with. Just don’t come to me when he shatters your fragile little heart.”

And with those words, Demeter parts, vanishing from the room without any trace that she was there in the first place. 

Y/N stumbles back into the wall, chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath. Sliding until she’s seated against the stone floor, she grips at the cage of her necklace, wanting nothing more than the comfort of her beloved’s arms around her. She closes her eyes, heart pounding painfully in her chest as she envisions a more peaceful world, one where she and James can live in harmony.

Her eyes flutter open as the air grows cool around her, alarms ringing in her head when she sees that she’s no longer sitting in her little cottage. Instead, Y/N sits on the dark, hardwood floor of a bedroom, the walls dark and menacing around her. One torch is alight in the farthest corner, bathing the unknown territory in an eerie, low glow. 

Something on the bed, sitting in the middle of the room, shifts. Y/N catches a peek of a pale, muscular back as the person turns, hand hanging over the side of the mattress. Y/N peers closely, noting the familiarity of the ring the stranger adorns.

_James._

Realization hits her like a brick in the face. 

_She’s in the Underworld._


	7. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out it's a good thing to be in hell.

Y/N’s eyes flick down to where her hand is wrapped like a vice around the necklace and then back to James’ sleeping form, the gears turning in her head fast enough to hurt. Her gaze falls to the jewels in his ring, finding it all too like the one in her necklace. Staring at it, she thinks about James again, thinks about being in his arms. The hellstone of his ring glows dimly in response.

Delight colors Y/N’s mood. She rises off the floor quietly, fully intending to rush to the bed and embrace James, only to freeze when another form on the bed starts to shift, fighting its way out the mass of blankets.

A tiny, dark paw is first thing she sees, followed by a flash of pretty, golden eyes. It wrestles in the sheets for a moment before the animal breaks free with smug little mewl. Its head pops up, revealing a kitten-like face, tilting in confusion when it spots the young goddess standing in the corner.

Y/N expects to be met with a pounce of the kitten’s tiny body, followed by a bite of sharp teeth or the sting of claws. Curious, she watches it turn to face its owner, raising a paw right above his stubbled cheek. With a huff, the kitten taps his face a couple of times, trying to wake the sleeping god to no avail. James merely bats at it, nose crinkling as he turns over on his back before settling down again.

The kitten’s ears flatten against its head in annoyance as it perches on his chest, nudging his face with its paw once more. James groans quietly, eyes shut as he says, “ _Lumina_ , go away.”

Lumina hisses in response, smacking him on the nose.

“Don’t sass me, you dumb cat. I’ll turn you into a pair of gloves.” James mutters angrily. He still doesn’t open his eyes. “Leave me alone.”

Lumina bites his dimpled chin, and James sighs, disgruntled. “That doesn’t hurt, and you know it.”

Y/N can’t help but giggle at the scene before her, finding the exchange adorable. James’ eyes fly open at the noise, head whipping to the side to find his love standing in the corner with a smile on her face.

“What in the fresh hell?” James breathes out, incredulous. “Y/N?”

“Hi.” She gives him a little, childish wave.

James pushes Lumina off him, causing her to topple to the floor with a startled cry as he rises from the bed with a quick grace she would never be able to accomplish. He embraces her, nearly crushing her in his haste. “How did you get here?” James asks. He kisses the top of her head, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

“I think it was the hellstone that brought me here.” Y/N reveals. “My mother and I had a fight, and I thought about you, closed my eyes and grabbed my necklace.” she shows him her movements, holding up his ringed hand in the process. James’ eyebrows furrow as he watches it light crimson. “And when I opened my eyes, I was here.”

“Interesting.” James mutters. “I had no idea that this was possible.”

“Well, the stone _is_  rare,” Y/N reminds James. “There’s a chance no one knows about what it can do.”

“There is  _one_  person that does.” James admits. “I will have to ask her. I do not want something… _unexpected_ to happen that could bring you harm.”

“Ever the protective one.” Y/N shakes her head in amusement.

He kisses her forehead, smiling gently. “Always. C’mon, little one. Let’s get you to sleep; you look absolutely exhausted.”

“Will we be in the same bed?  _Your_  bed?” Y/N asks.

“If you allow it.” James tells her. “There are plenty of other rooms, if you desire to sleep apart from me.”

Y/N chews on her lip for a moment, considering the options. James chuckles when she leans against him, eyelids heavy as she cuddles close. “Together, then?” he clarifies.

“Together.”

* * *

Y/N wakes to the feeling of a hand stroking her hip. James is awake, the warmth of his body nestled against her back as he lets his hand trail gently back and forth. She should be alarmed, being so close to him, but she merely nestles further into his heat, humming in contentment.

James sucks in a surprised breath, hand stilling her movements with an iron grip. “I’d be very cautious if I were you, little one.” he warns.

“What did I do?” she asks him. He wraps his arms around her with a strained chuckle.

“It’s crude.” James admits.

“Just tell me, James.” Y/N demands. “I’m used to you being crude by now.”

“So you say.” James retorts dryly. He trails one hand down her side, tentatively letting it fall to the curve of her ass. He squeezes once, gently. “This pretty ass of yours is causing a  _problem_ , little one.”

Y/N feels all breath leave her body. “Problem? What problem?”

“Now you’re just playing coy.” James accuses. “You know damn well what I’m talking about, you vixen.”

“I’ve never been called a  _vixen_ before. I quite like it.” Y/N giggles as James squeezes her sides in warning, hearing him growl playfully at her.

“I know you do, and that terrifies me to no end.” He presses a parting kiss to her shoulder, rising from the warm safety of the mattress. “C’mon, little one. There is breakfast waiting for us.”

Y/N pouts. “But it’s comfortable here.”

“I know it is, but you must eat.” James argues.

“I’m not hungry.” Not even a second later, her stomach gurgles. Quite loudly. James raises an eyebrow in response, smiling as Y/N breaks out into loud peals of laughter.

“Not hungry, my godly ass. Come, little one. Let’s satiate your hunger.”


	8. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little one, you're way more wicked than anyone could've imagined.

> _She looked at her mother and laughed outright, making your heart soar and your body resonate with a feeling that’s long since abandoned you. She was yours as you were hers._

* * *

 

Y/N peers curiously at the artwork lining the obscenely grand hallway as James follows behind her, allowing her to peruse at her leisure. She stops in front of a portrait of his dreaded feline, perching on top of his crown, and James feels his cheeks heat as she throws him an amused smile.

“You don’t seem to like your kitten very much.” she notes. “Yet you have a painting dedicated to her.”

“Panthers are annoying in general.” James explains, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice. “And Lumina’s only a baby, so that makes her a particularly  _needy_  pain in the ass.”

As if she knew she was the subject of their current conversation, Lumina skitters down the hall, mewling excitedly. She pounces at James, whom of which looks vaguely annoyed as he cradles the small panther in his arms. She headbutts the tattoo on his forearm before nipping at it playfully. 

They make quite a sight, in the young flower’s opinion, with his angry scowl and her happy nuzzling setting an amusing contrast as he holds her close. 

“I cannot stand you, cat.” James mutters, yet he strokes his fingers through her fur anyways. The purr Lumina lets out sounds smug, and Y/N has to stifle a giggle. She was an interesting creature, to say the least.

“What compelled you to acquire her if she’s such an annoying animal to you?” Y/N asks, raising an eyebrow. She gently scratches behind Lumina’s ears, smiling when she flings herself from James’ arms to her own. 

“She found me one day and wouldn’t leave me alone.” James rolls his eyes. “She still hasn’t.”

Lumina meows, gold eyes narrowed, and James bares his teeth at her in kind. “Shut up.”

Y/N watches their exchange bemusedly, listening to the noises Lumina makes as James mutters angrily at her. They seem to come to a resolution and James sighs, reluctantly letting Lumina tap her paw against his knuckle in what seems like agreement. 

“You can talk to her?” Y/N asks. James and Lumina nod at the same time.

“She can understand us, but not everyone understands her. Here in the Underworld, an animal can choose companions.” James explains. “In doing so, a bond is created where the animal and its companion can communicate basically. You could communicate with her, if she so chooses to let you. It might take a while; she’s wary of newcomers.”

“That’s quite alright.” Y/N murmurs. Lumina taps her arm.

She continues walking down the hallway, gently petting James’ panther as she absorbs her environment. His home is everything she imagined it would be. He seems to be a fan of red, Y/N muses to herself. The walls are painted a dark crimson, the trimmings and decor complimenting the color by highlighting the place with silver. The floors under her bare feet are dark, the wood cold against her skin.

It’s so James - elegant yet daunting at the same time. 

They soon find themselves at the end of the hall right in front of tall, grandiose doors. There’s a young woman standing there, her disposition nervous and seemingly frightened. 

“Ilyse,” James’ eyebrows furrow. “What’s the matter?”

“Demeter is here to see you.” Ilyse grimaces while both Y/N and James tense at the name. Lumina growls. 

“With your… _brothers_.” she adds on quietly. “They are not pleased with her presence being here.”

“I wouldn’t expect it any other way.” James mutters.

 He straightens up, face turning stern as his eyes flash from blue to crimson. Lumina drops to the floor, and Y/N eyes grow wide as she watches the young kitten start to grow in size. Going from a kitten that didn’t even reach their knees, her head nearly passes James’ shoulder. 

“I apologize for this, little one.” James says. “But dealing with my brothers calls for powerful ensemble.”

He waves a hand and his rumpled sleep clothes change into a dark, sleek suit. She looks down at her own body, finding her grass-stained dress replaced with a beautiful wine-colored gown, seeming to sparkle in the low light. Her hair, once hanging messily across her shoulders, was pulled up away from her neck in a sweeping updo. Her necklace was on full display, hanging in the space of her plunging neckline. 

Her feet were left bare. She turns to him in confusion.

“You’re a baby deer on your best days, I thought it was best to keep you somewhat in your element.” 

He conjures a mirror, allowing her to marvel for a moment. She smiles at her reflection, red-painted lips curving happily as she finds a crown sitting in her hair, noticeably larger than the one sitting atop James’ slicked back waves.

She looks like a queen standing alongside her king. They were one unit in that moment, braced together in unmovable solidarity.

“You look absolutely beautiful, little one.” The scowl vanishes for a moment as James offers her an arm, face softening as he admires her momentarily. “Shall we go have a reluctant family reunion?”

Nodding, she takes his arm. She looks straight ahead as Ilyse opens the doors, finding it easy to steel her face into a replica of the expression James is sporting. 

The first thing she sees are two men, whom of which are both sporting crowns. One’s tall and burly, long blonde locks hanging past his shoulders as he stares directly at James. The other one, smaller with short, dark curls, has his attention trained on her. 

Thor and Bruce, she guesses. 

Behind them are her mother, looking as sophisticated and pissed off as ever. Y/N gulps, clenching her jaw angrily at the sight of her. James lets go of her arm as they stop, running it briefly down her exposed back to offer a bit of comfort. It settles around her waist, acting like an anchor almost. 

“Playing dress up, are we?” Demeter breaks the silence scathingly. She rakes a glaring sneer over her daughter’s dress. “Oh, look, you even have a crown. As if you could ever be a queen.”

“If all you’re going to do is insult her, then you may leave.” James’ voice is an icy monotone, void of any emotion. “I don’t tolerate disrespect against anything of mine.”

“ _Yours_?” Demeter questions harshly. “She’s not some object you can covet!”

“I’m aware.” James says. “But she is mine, as I am hers. Possibly it is true that I am more of hers than she is of mine.”

Though no one else would have noticed, Y/N recognizes the self-doubt minutely layering his tone. 

“Why are you here, mother?” Y/N finally brings herself to ask. “And why are his brothers here?”

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior last, dear.” Demeter’s voice is nothing but false remorse. “But when I came to your little hobble, you were nowhere to be found. And that’s when I knew this filthy cretin has  _stolen_  you.”

The anger that hits her is uncontrollably wild. Yet, she keeps her composure, leveling her mother with an icy look James feels proud of. His love was finding her own footing, standing up for herself. 

“As you said before,  _mother_ ,” she bites the word out like it offends her, “I am not an object to be coveted. So how could James have  _stolen_  me? I came here of my own free will.”

“He has brainwashed you.” Demeter presses. “He has taken advantage of a child.”

“I am no child.” Y/N grinds out, teeth gritted. “I can make my own decisions and dictate my own life.”

James feels her energy saturate the air, mingling with the environment, within the wickedness that his home resides. His eyes go almost imperceptibly wider. Never has her power mixed with his. Their energies have always been at odds, clashing against one another in an attempt to push the other out. Always apart, never together. 

James wasn’t sure what to make of the revelation yet. 

Before Demeter can open her mouth to institute further backlash, Bruce holds up a palm, ceasing her words. His beseeching, soft eyes explore Y/N’s a moment before turning to the youngest of the brothers. 

“You love her.” It’s not a question. James nods anyway.

“You love him.” Y/N nods.

“I do believe it is her choice.” Bruce tells Demeter. Thor nods in consensus. “She is right - she isn’t a child. You have no right to dictate her life.”

“Thank you, brother.” The words sound like they pain James to say.

“Damn what you say!” Demeter yanks Y/N by the arm, hand wrapping around her bicep with a vice grip. 

“Let me go!” Y/N yells. Sharp nails dig into her skin. 

“You are coming with me and I’m locking you away for eternity! Away from this trash, this  _corruption_!”

“I said -” the air grows even thicker, and James braces himself. Lumina plants herself in front of him. “- let me  _go_!”

Y/N’s necklace glows bright as she screams the last word, blinding everyone in the room momentarily. When the light clears, Demeter is on the ground, gazing at her daughter with wide, frightened eyes. 

“You do not own me.” Y/N takes a step toward the fallen goddess, voice a primal growl that James has never heard before.

She looks like a predator, stalking toward her mother with a snarl. To him, in that moment, she looks like the rightful Queen of the Underworld - an unmoving entity that no one could ever take down. 

“If you wish to stay here, to be tied to this excuse of a god,” Demeter says. “Consume the food of this realm. That will permanently tie you to  _his_  domain. Do it, you insolent little girl, if you are serious of being with this filth.”

Y/N eyes the plate of fruit sitting on the ornate dining table, hand steady as she reaches for a pomegranate. James’ places a cautious hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t have to prove yourself for me, little one.” James tells her quietly. She shrugs him away, directing a glaring at him over her shoulder.

“I’m not proving myself for  _you_.” she hisses. “I’m doing this for me.”

Staring directly at her mother, Y/N sinks her teeth into the skin of the pomegranate, securing her damnation. When she swallows, she grins like the wolf she is, teeth stained red as she lets the juice dibble down her chin.

James’ heart constricts. His little one wasn’t so pure after all. A wickedness resided within her, and the thought both terrified and excited him at the same time.


	9. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, what happens now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sorry for the metaphorical bomb dropping.

“I believe she has made her choice, Demeter.” Thor steps between mother and daughter, his back bravely turned to Y/N as he extends a hand to the fallen goddess. 

Demeter rises on unstable legs, gazing at her daughter with the fury of a thousand suns. Under the veil of anger, though, lay fear, sadness, disappointment, the heartbreak of a mother severing ties with her daughter.

James looks at Y/N and finds nothing but raw hatred, predatory anger, the desire to rip apart the force that dictated her entire existence. There’s no trace of the timid, peaceful flower that initially captured his heart. Standing there, mouth stained red, with the desire to spill her mother’s blood, she’s an entirely different entity. She now commands power, demands it with every breath she takes. 

He doesn’t know whether to drop to his knees and worship at her feet or run while he still has his head intact. 

Instead, he wraps an arm around her waist, finds her trembling. He kisses her temple in an attempt to soothe her, making an attempt to drag her away from his brother. 

James knew from experience - having an angry goddess, even a moderately fledgling one - at your back was something you never wanted. No one but the  _Moirai_ knew what she was capable of, what havoc she could possibly wreak.

“Stand down, my love.” he murmurs quietly. 

Y/N growls a little under her breath, and that’s when he feels it. His palm starts to burn where it touches her, and he quickly realizes she’s using their newly combined power to repel him. He hisses through his teeth at the sensation, tasting the odd combination of roses and blood on his tongue, but yet he doesn’t let go. Bruce watches the exchange with interest gleaming in his eyes. 

“Brother,” he says in that even, placid tone of his. “I don’t think she realizes what she’s doing.”

James watches Y/N’s eyebrows furrow as she takes in his words and the pain suddenly ceases as she faces him. 

“What is he talking about?” Y/N questions. “What am I doing? James?”

“You were…attacking me, little one.” he admits uneasily. Y/N gasps like she’s been electrocuted, horror striking across her face. He’s quick to quell her fears, smothering her in an embrace as he kisses her forehead. “It’s alright. I’m alright. There’s nothing to fear.”

“I’m sorry.” Tears leak into the fabric of his shirt, and he sighs, heart hurting. 

James turns to his brothers with contempt written all over his face. “Get out. Now.”

They all leave without another word, leaving Y/N and James with Lumina circling around them.

“You know I’m not going to bind you to that rule, little one.” James whispers into her hair. “I will not take away your freedom. I will not be your mother.”

“I know.” she murmurs back, holding him tighter. “I know.”

They stand like that for who knows how long, reveling in one another’s warmth and security as they let the morning’s tension ebb away into something akin to relief. Lumina lounges at their feet, small and needy once again. She bats at James’ shoelaces in a bout of boredom, meowing at him quietly for a few moments. James raises an eyebrow at her.

“What’d she say?” 

“She wants to know what we’re going to do now.” James says. “She wants to know if I’m going to marry you.”

Y/N looks at Lumina sharply, finding the panther’s gold eyes glittering with mirth. Behind that, though, lies complete seriousness. She looks between Y/N and James, tilting her head. She voices something else that makes James roll his eyes.

“Is that what you disappear to do during the day?” he asks the animal. “Do you just go through my things for fun?”

She bobs her head once, seeming pleased with herself. Y/N laughs quietly into the palm of her hand. Leave it to the panther to be the comedic relief after the stresses their day started with.

Y/N kneels in front of Lumina, scratching behind her ears as she smiles. “Why are you asking about marriage?”

Lumina pins James with an expression Y/N can’t decipher. James suddenly blushes, averting his gaze as he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. Lumina huffs a laugh at his expense.

“I hate you, you obnoxious feline. You bring things up at the most inopportune times.” James bares his teeth at her, prompting Lumina to do the same. She was a brave little thing, Y/N surmised. She didn’t know of many living things that would talk back against the king of the underworld. 

“What is it?” Y/N questions. James shifts uncomfortably on his feet, that unusual blush staining high on his cheekbones. He drops to his knees, too, reaching into his pocket with a less than happy appearance. 

“This was not how I wanted to go about this, you incorrigible beast.” Lumina just laughs in his face once again, uncaring. “If this doesn’t go well, I’m turning you into a pair of gloves. I promise you that I will.”

“What are you going on about?” Y/N asks. 

James takes in a shaky breath, pulling out a small wooden box. It fits in the palm of his hand, small and unassuming as his hand trembles ever so slightly. 

“Little one,” James’ voice is soft, dare she say shy. He opens the box, showing off a truly beautiful [ring](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F94%2F67%2F6c%2F94676c46213a8c1b1b4e5c6df05d07cd.jpg&t=YzJhZDdkOGIyMGUwYjllN2Y5MWQ1YjQ5MGJjOGU2OWIwNTcxMmUyMCxPbUEzeFNMcg%3D%3D&b=t%3At42ED5IgDVMlFC9b3BJsOw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fkillmongerdreams.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F169746279462%2Fdissonance-8&m=1) sitting atop a black velvet cushion. A large, oval cut of what she assumes is hellstone sits in the middle, glimmering a shiny crimson amidst a sea of sparkling white diamonds. The sight of it takes her breath away. “Marry me?”

Y/N’s answer gets cut off by an indignant Lumina. She pounces on James, batting at his nose in annoyance as she mewls angrily in his face. 

“Well, I’m sorry that I didn’t have a speech written out!” James cries out. “You know I don’t express myself well!”

“You two are children.” Y/N rolls her eyes. “The answer is yes, James. I’ll marry you.”

James pushes Lumina across the room, smiling victoriously as he slides the ring on to her awaiting finger, kissing it in reverence. “Fit for a queen, I’d say.”

“I do believe you’re right, my love.”

* * *

James watches her that night, listening to the serene influx of her breath as she sleeps peacefully beside him. Staring at her ring, the jewelry shining dimly in the low light, he lets his mind wander, thoughts loud and invasive as he recollects the events of the day.

Seeing his brothers again was an  _interesting_  turn of events. He hasn’t had a civil meeting with either of them in centuries, and for them to just show up in his threshold, with  _Demeter_  no less, was something he never could’ve expected.  

Why exactly was that wench with them in the first place? Surely she had to know that they were at odds; everyone god and goddess and mythical creature in existence knew the brothers were at odds with one another. 

Maybe that was the angle she was playing at, James muses to himself - bring in his brothers to catch him off guard and worsen their feud in an attempt to make him let his hold on her daughter go. 

But, if that was her game, it didn’t work. It was an unexpected occurrence for Bruce and Thor to agree with him on any matter, and for them to readily agree that Y/N was her own charge made James more suspicious. 

His brothers have an agenda, and James idly wonders what his role in it is. Knowing them the way he does, James knows he won’t find out until they want him to. Alone Bruce and Thor are pretty cunning, but put their brains together and they were truly masterminds. Add him into the mix, and they’re completely unstoppable. 

Or, at least that’s what he thought for a long time. 

James shakes his head, brushing a lock of Y/N’s hair away from her face. He smiles when she sighs, cuddling closer into his side.

He was to be married.

Again.


	10. nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progress is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lumina is my favorite, just saying.

“I’m going to have to go topside soon.” Y/N notes at breakfast the next day. James looks up at her in confusion, hand paused halfway to his mouth. She gives him an encouraging smile in an attempt to quell his fears. “It’s okay, James. I just get… _antsy_  when I’m away for too long. It can make me ill, sometimes.”

“Ill?” James parrots. Dread creeps up his spine. Being in his realm is hurting her? The notion made him a little sick himself. “Ill how, little one?”

“I get headaches. Chills. Fevers, sometimes.” Y/N explains. How she sounds so nonchalant about it is beyond him. “It’s why I’ve never strayed far from home too much.”

James nods, understanding. “Are you feeling ill now?”

“Minor headache, nothing too bad.” Y/N reveals. “It’ll get worse if I don’t go home soon, though. Which, I have to talk to you about.”

James motions for her to continue, undivided attention trained upon her. She looks nervous to broach whatever she wanted to discuss, and he can’t help but smile a little. Even after her weekend of power, she still has that timid air about her that James loves. 

“I want you to come home with me.” Y/N says. “I spent a few days here in your realm, it’s only fair that you spend a few in mine.”

He considers it for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. She was right, and if they were to be married, the two of them would have to learn how to coexist in each other’s domain. 

“May I have the day to prepare?” he asks eventually. “We can leave tonight.”

“Of course, my love.”

The smile she rewards him with makes his heart soar. He’d do anything to keep that smile on her face, even if it meant living among the mortals every once in a while. 

* * *

“What kind of wardrobe constitutes staying on Earth?” 

James looks to Lumina, finding her lying inside his suitcase, thoroughly amused by her companion’s attempt to dress like a normal human. Y/N had this part down pat, knowing how to blend and disguise, but James hadn’t truly integrated within the mortal population in so long that he forgot what it feels like to act the role. 

“Is this appropriate?” James holds out a suit, simple compared to his usual regal attire but still highly overstated for a stint on Earth. Lumina takes one look at it and starts to mewl with laughter, rolling over on her back in amusement. It makes the god scowl.

“I hate you. You know that, right?” James tells her. She waves a paw at him, uncaring, still laughing.

“You don’t hate her, love.” James looks over his shoulder to find Y/N leaning against the doorway, already back in her normal dress, already out of the glamour the underworld provided. It makes James the slightest bit sad. “You’d go crazy if you didn’t have her.”

Lumina makes an eager sound of agreement.

“She  _is_  the reason I’m crazy.” James mutters. He sits down on his bed, suit in hand, sighing in frustration. Y/N stands between his legs, running a hand through his long, styled locks. “I’m not even on Earth yet, and I’m already floundering at blending in.”

“I’ll be there to help you, James.” Y/N reassures. 

Lumina meows a sentence before she starts squeaking out laughter again, and Y/N watches James throw the suit to the floor like a child, huffing in annoyance. “I loathe that fucking animal. I swear I do.”

* * *

Y/N’s home is exactly what James imagined it to be. It’s small but not suffocating, quaint yet completely embodying the young goddess’ blooming personality at the same time. Floor to ceiling windows line the back wall of her tiny cottage, letting the moonlight infiltrate the living room and illuminate the cold concrete underneath their feet. 

“A lovely home you have here, little one.” James murmurs, wrapping her arms around her waist. She smiles, but James can sense her nerves. Her heartbeat flutters as fast as a hummingbird’s wings, a short, rapid staccato beating in her chest. “What’s wrong? I thought you wanted me here?”

“I do.” Y/N whispers. “But…there’s something else I wanted.”

“What is it?” 

Y/N seems to steel herself for a moment, taking a deep breath before turning in her soon-to-be husband’s arms. Determination blazes in her eyes, and James watches, entranced, as she runs her hands over the front of his shirt, sliding low until she reaches the hem.

“I want  _you_ , my king.” she tells him. Her voice tremors slightly. “If we are to be married, I want to learn beforehand.”

“Learn?” his eyebrows drag together in confusion. 

“I want to learn -” she hesitates, voice trailing off shyly. She swallows the lump in her throat, trying again. “I want to learn how to be intimate with you. How to   _please_  you.”

A sudden burst of heat courses through James’ body at her words. He ignores it, taking a step back, giving them both the room to think clearly. What she’s wanting is monumental, a leaping step that James isn’t entirely sure she’s ready for. Aside from a few passionate moments where James has forgotten himself, they’ve never attempted to push the boundaries, to push for a greater physicality within their dynamic. 

“Are you truly wanting this or do you feel obligated?” James asks, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t want something you don’t want as well.”

Y/N seems offended at the notion of obligation. His question gets a raised eyebrow in return, her arms crossed over her chest. “I thought it was made apparent that I don’t do anything I don’t want to.”

“Believe me.” James can’t help but laugh a little. “I’m well aware of that.”

“Then it’s settled.”

With a smirk he steps around her, settling down on the tiny, plush couch. He pats his thigh in invitation. “C’mere, little one.”

Y/N situates herself in his lap, biting her lip shyly. What little bravado she momentarily possessed is now gone. She’s putting herself in his hands, trusting him to guide her. James was in no way going to fail her. He would make sure of that.

“Intimacy is not only about  _me_  receiving pleasure.” James tells her. She tilts her head, confused. “It’s also about you, little one. If  _you_  are not satisfied, then  _I_ amnot satisfied, either.”

“But a wife’s duty…” Y/N trails off when James shakes his head, eliminating that thought before it could fully manifest.

“You will not cater to me and expect to get nothing in return.” James holds her jaw with a gentle hand, makes sure she’s staring straight into his eyes as he explains. “You will never leave a situation with me feeling unfulfilled. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my king.” Y/N whispers. 

“Good girl.” the praise draws a soft whimper out of her, leaving her more flustered than before. James doesn’t call her out on it, storing the information for later use.

“We will not have sex tonight.” James continues, ignoring her indignant sputtering. “I feel as if that would be too much for you to experience at once. I don’t want to scare you.”

“But what else is there to experience?” Y/N asks. James thinks she may be pouting a little, innocence so apparent that it nearly hurts. He smiles, amused.

“There is a fair amount for you to experience, little one.” Y/N watches his eyes flicker, crimson fighting to overtake the blue. His gaze drops to her mouth, wanting.

“Like what?” 

His hand caresses her thigh at the question, head nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Soft lips pepper chaste barely there kisses up the column of her throat. Y/N practically melts in his embrace, head lolling to the side as she sighs.  

He kisses the corner of her mouth, drawing back slightly. “May I touch you, Y/N?”

The goddess nods eagerly, but he makes no move to do so. “Use your words, little one. I have to hear you voice your permission.”

“Yes, James.” she breathes. “You can touch me.”

And with that, he pulls her into a scorching kiss, hands gripping below her rib cage as she squirms in his lap. Her constant movement ignites a flame within James, fueling his desire to make her fall apart at the seams in pleasure. 

His tongue drags across her bottom lip, one hand dipping underneath the hem of her dress, fingertips grazing the front of her underwear. The sensation makes her gasp, body tensing at the feeling.

James pulls away immediately, breathing heavy. “Relax for me, baby. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’m sorry.” Heat tinges her cheeks, and she looks away, ashamed at her trepidation.

“Don’t apologize.” James orders. “Do you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head, and James sighs. “Words, Y/N.”

“I don’t want you to stop.” 

James keeps his eyes on her as he replaces his hand, gently rubbing two fingers over the damp cotton between her legs. She whimpers, seizing her bottom lip between her teeth. 

James thinks she looks like an angel - a wanton, seductive angel. And he’s the devil destined to corrupt Heaven’s greatest creation. 

“Feel good?” James checks in. 

The quiet moan from her is answer enough. 

He uses his free hand to hook her underwear to the side, thumb sliding over her slit, gathering the slickness pooling at her hole. He presses in ever so slightly, reveling in the hitch of her breath.

“So responsive, little one.” James purrs. His voice has dropped an octave, deepened with his arousal. “So wet for me.”

The sound of James’ voice makes her tremble, dragging her further under the waves of lust crashing over her. His thumb slips upward, dragging over a spot that makes her cry out, hips rolling of their own accord. James circles it ruthlessly in hard, slow circles. 

“J-James.” his name on her tongue is a pleading moan, her head dropping to his shoulder. He kisses her temple, smiling at how quickly he’s managed to dismantle her composure. She’s lost all inhibitions.

Heat rises in her stomach at an alarming rate, threatening to consume her as Y/N gives way to the feeling of James’ hand on her. The closer she gets, the louder she gets, and James has the thrilling feeling that his love is going to be a screamer when she comes. 

His suspicions are confirmed a moment later when she screams his name, eyes squeezed closed in bliss as she shakes in his embrace.

What he isn’t prepared for, though, is the burst of magic that she lets loose. 

It blindsides him, clouding his mind with a haze of pleasure. James gasps, hips bucking, stomach clenching as he comes, too. His head tips backwards as he fights to catch his breath, mind reeling. 

“Little one.” Y/N hums sleepily in reply. “Did you - did you do that on purpose?”

“Do what?” she questions.

“Hm. Nevermind.” 

He’ll broach the topic later, once he’s able to make sense of it himself. 

* * *

There is a nuisance interfering with his sleep, and it isn’t Lumina for once. James groans in protest as Y/N tries to shake him awake.

“Get up!” she orders. “We have things to do today!”

James pops open one blue eye, peering out the window to see that the sun’s barely risen over the horizon. “ _No_.”

“Yes!” Y/N cries. She whacks him with a pillow, giggling.

“The sun’s not even awake yet.” James complains. Nonetheless, he sits up, blinking blearily at his fiancee. She’s smiling at him, already dressed for whatever she has planned for them today. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

“Too bad so sad, mister. C’mon, get dressed. There’ll be breakfast waiting for you when you’re done.”


	11. ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of a goddess in disguise.

James adjusts the shades on his face nervously, trailing behind his fiancee as she flittered from stall to stall in the market. It was as if everyone in this quaint little town knew her, greeting her with open hearts and shining smiles while they observed him with wary eyes. 

Y/N pulls him to a stop in front of a stand full of flowers, and it takes everything in his being to bite back a groan. He wraps an arm around her waist, lips brushing her ear. 

“You could conjure any flower that comes to your pretty little mind, yet you still choose to buy them.” James whispers, rolling his eyes. “I don’t understand it.”

 Y/N shrugs, giggling. The attendant, a tall, buff blonde man, turns around at the sound, meeting Y/N with a smile bright enough to outshine the sun. James tightens his grip on her in a blatant show of possessiveness, thankful for the sunglasses hiding the way his eyes change black for a split second, The man -  _Steve_ , his name tag reads - reads the gesture for what it is, eyebrows furrowing in confusion, smile dimming slightly.

“Mornin’ miss Bloom!” Steve greets. James is momentarily sidetracked by the ridiculous last name she’s picked for her human alter ego, jealousy forgotten as he smothers an amused snort into his palm. “Who’s your friend?”

James’ grin is nothing short of predatory as he offers Steve his free hand to shake. 

“I’m James, James…Barnes. Her  _fiancé_.” He introduces. Smugness drips from the word, and James wonders if Y/N notices the way Steve seems to deflate like a balloon. “And you are?”

“Steve Rogers.” 

“Nice to meet you,  _Steve_.” The two men have a stare down for a few seconds, the action not going unnoticed by Y/N. She tugs on James’ arm to drag him from his reverie, expression on her face saying she’d address his behavior later.

“Your order’s in, by the way.” Steve reaches into the cart beside his stall, pulling out two bouquets - one a dozen white roses, the other a dozen bright yellow sunflowers. She gingerly cradles them in one arm while she digs for her wallet, paying Steve way beyond what James thinks those flowers are worth. 

“Thank you, Stevie!” she barely has time to say her farewell before James tugs her in the opposite direction and far, far away from Steve fuckin’ Rogers. 

As soon as they’re out of hearing distance, Y/N consciously prods at his ribs with her magic, glaring at the god as his jaw clenches at the sharp feeling. “You didn’t have to be so hostile. He’s a nice mortal.”

“He’s interested in what’s mine.” James’ defense earns him another poke. “Mortal or not, no one should be making eyes at my things.”

“I’m not an object, mister  _Barnes_.” a smirk curls at her lips. “You should treat me as such.”

“I’m aware that you aren’t an object, miss  _Bloom_.” James rolls his eyes. “But you  _are_  mine. How would you respond if a mortal woman wanted me in that way?”

Y/N’s response holds no hesitation, just unfiltered confidence. “I wouldn’t be worried. I know I have your heart.”

James hugs her close to his side, grinning. “That you do, my Queen. That you do.”

* * *

“You do realize that I can give you clothes better than this right? That I have tailors and seamstresses at my will?” James wonders aloud, unable to quell his criticism. He peruses the rack of dresses in front of him with a dismissive scowl. “You could have priceless Venetian silk adorning that body of yours if you so wanted. And you  _should_ want that _._ You will be a queen soon enough, and a queen should only have the best. And this cheap cotton is not that _._ ”

Her annoyance rolls off her in waves, the feeling thick in the air. He doesn’t have to look over his shoulder to know she’s sending him a look that could kill. “I’m just saying, little one.”

“The entire point of being here is to blend in with the humans.” Y/N huffs. “Besides, I find nothing wrong with it.”

“And that is because you have no taste whatsoever.” James mutters. “I, on the other hand, know exactly what you deserve.”

“That is because you are spoiled.” Y/N tells him, not unkindly. “I’ve lived with the humans for quite some time now. You’ve never left your life of glamour.”

“I have now.” James says. “I’m with you buying this drab, aren’t I?”

“The least you can do is not be a petulant baby about it.” she outright laughs as offense crosses the king’s face. “I’m just saying.”

“Bite me.” 

Y/N shrugs “Just tell me where.”

The god snickers quietly, smiling. His love was turning out to be quite the vixen, indeed.

* * *

Y/N leads James by the hand, shimmery dress swishing back and forth as she balances precariously in a short pair of heels. For a goddess, she lacked a fair amount of grace, and James knew it was only a short time before she either kicked the shoes off or she tripped. 

She pulls him to the doorstep of a fairly large house, ringing the doorbell as she held the bouquet of roses she purchased earlier. 

“This house is fairly nice for a human.” James comments. “Whose is this?”

“You’ll be surprised.” Y/N tells him in lieu of an answer. “You know him.”

The door swings open after a moment, and surprise smacks James in the face. Smiling broadly in front of them is another  _divine_. 

One that James knows all too well.

“Icarus?” James asks, wonder in his voice. 

The man in question winks at him. “I’ve not gone by my father’s title in ages. It’s Sam now, James.”

James pulls Sam into an overdue hug, smiling uncontrollably. “It’s been so long.”

“That it has, man. Too long” Sam murmurs as he pulls away. “Come inside and join the party. Everyone’s wanting to mingle with the man who stole the heart of our little jewel, here.”

* * *

The house is bustling, people in every corner chatting away and trying to get a look at the way Y/N hangs off James’ arm. She’s amicable, greeting as many people as she can bear before she makes her way to the large sofa in the living room, kicking off her shoes and relaxing into the cushions. James pulls her feet into his lap without a word, thumbs pressing into the arches to help relieve the ache. She sighs happily, eyelids fluttering drowsily. 

“Y’know we can leave if you choose so.” James mutters. “I have no problem in leaving this place.”

“Of course you don’t.” Y/N rolls her eyes, but doesn’t look too against the notion. “I suppose it wouldn’t be a terrible idea, though.”

“I’ll tell Sam we’re leaving.” James says, rising to his feet. “Go and wait by the door, little one.”

He wanders the house for a moment, following the surge of power he feels until he finds Sam in the kitchen, drinking from a glass of wine as he chats up a mortal woman. Maria, James remembers - the headstrong woman that isn’t too fond of his presence. 

“We’re gonna head out.” James tells him. “Y/N’s getting tired.”

“Alright, man.” Sam nods. “Take care, you hear?”

James undestands what he really means - take care of  _her_.

“Always, Sam.” James promises, stealing a quick hug. “See you around.”

James finds his way to the front door, stopping short in his tracks at what he sees. No other than Steve Rogers is biding his love’s time, smiling sheepishly with lovesick eyes as she laughs at something he says. She lays a hand on his arm, and James can’t help the possessiveness that surges through him.

He takes a deep breath, striding slowly towards the pair. “You ready to go, darling?” he asks, trying hard to keep his voice steady, not daring to look at Steve for fear of punching him in the teeth. It’s apparent that the blonde man doesn’t care for him either if the air of hostility flowing off his body is anything to go by. 

Y/N is seemingly ignorant to it all, smiling at James. “Yeah.” she waves at Steve. “Bye, Stevie! I’ll see you later!”

“Bye, Y/N!” he smiles at her before giving a curt but polite nod to James in farewell.

* * *

As soon as they cross the threshold of Y/N’s home, James is lifting her by the hips, pinning her to the door as it slams closed. Her surprised gasp is muffled by his lips as he kisses her fiercely, body shaking as he lets his angry jealously ebb through him. 

Dainty hands push at his chest in protest, her head wrenching wrenching away from his. “James!”

The god in question ignores her, undeterred as he kisses down her exposed throat. He bites down on the fragile skin covering her collarbone almost hard enough to draw blood, and his hands tighten to the point of pain around her hips. She whines, the sound low and pained in his ear.

Y/N fists a hand in his hair, jerking his head back forcefully. Staring at her through narrowed black eyes, he growls as her powers help keep him from moving. 

“Calm down.” she orders. 

They stay like that for a few long moments, riding out the wave as James gradually lets his emotions become stable once more. As black gives way to blue, his eyes shine apologetically. 

“You  _should_  be sorry.” she comments. “Let me down. Now.”

James puts her on the ground without a word. 

“Look at me.” he does so tentatively, finding her eyes holding authority within them. “On your knees.”

Confusion flutters across his face but he does so obediently, not wanting to displease her further. Tilting her head, she trails her fingers over his stubbled cheek. 

“What made you angry?” she asks. 

James hesitates, and she tsks disapprovingly. The shaking resumes as a sharp stab of pleasure, nearly overwhelming, courses through his stomach. He stares, wide-eyed, finding her smirking. This is deliberate punishment, and James comes to find it excites him - being at his love’s mercy.

“James.” the tone in her voice makes him quick to answer this time. 

“I was… _jealous_ , little one.” to say it out loud embarrassed him, and Y/N took pride in the fact she could turn him from a dominant beast into a timid mouse in a matter of moments.

“Even though I told you there was no reason to be?” James nods, blushing. “Did you not believe me when I told you that?”

“I believed you.” he mutters. “I became angry anyways.”

“Hm. I can see that.” Y/N glares at him, and James moans lowly as another pulse of her magic hits him. “You weren’t thinking, were you? You let your emotions get the best of you, and you decide to take it out on  _me_. For no reason other than your possessiveness.”

James’ head bows low. “I’m sorry, little one. Forgive me.”

“You want forgiveness?” Y/N questions. James nods. “Words.”

“Yes, little one.”

“Prove it.” Y/N commands. “You’re already on your knees for me. Use your position to  _prove_  it, god.”

Gone is the shy, small goddess entrusting herself in his hands for pleasure. After having that first taste of what he could give her, she was all in, taking it for herself, commanding  _him_.

“Yes, little one.” James smiles demurely, biting his lip as he lets his hands trail up her legs, pushing the hem of her dress upward, eyes staying on hers the entire time. Her thighs tremble under his fingertips yet she stands steady.

His hands curl themselves around the band of her underwear, stopping short. 

“May I?” he asks quietly, waits for her nod before he pulls them, along with her heels, off. 

James grips her thigh to rest over his shoulder, giving him access to touch her how he pleased. He lets his gaze drop, lips parting as he looks. He’s surprised to find that she doesn’t turn shy under the attention he’s giving her.

“So pretty, little one.” it’s the only thing he says before he leans forward, eyes shutting in bliss as his tongue runs over her wetness. 

“Oh,  _yes_.” she sighs, gripping his hair hard enough to make him grunt against her cunt. 

His nose bumps her clit as his sly tongue licks lower, prodding at her entrance gently. Her hips buck, essentially riding his face as she seeks her pleasure. James lets her be, using a hand to steady her movements. His face is already slick, and he revels in the feeling of making her feel this way. He’s being good for her, serving his queen in the way she deserves. 

James pulls back for a moment, breathing heavily as he lets his free hand trail over her slit. He slowly presses his middle finger inside her, watching her face as she gets accustomed to the feeling of having something inside her. 

“Is this okay?” James asks, voice rough, grinning in satisfaction when she nods eagerly. She clenches around him, walls pulsating, and he waits a moment before drawing it out, fucking into her, slow and steady. 

The needy moan he gets in return for his efforts could fuel his fantasies for the rest of his life. James seals his lips around her clit, suckling gently as he eases his index finger inside her, too. He’s met with a little more resistance, a little more tightness, hearing her mewl at the sensation.

“Relax.” he murmurs against her. “I’ve got you.”

When James feels as if she’s adjusted, he starts to be a little more thorough with his administrations, creating a firm, steady rhythm as he curls his fingers, searching for that one spot to make her positively  _melt_  against him. She squeals his name when he does, tugging at his locks.

James spreads his fingers, licking between them before nipping at her clit ever so softly, eyes glancing upward as she falls apart above him. Y/N looks down at him through hooded eyes as she comes, mouth parted in bliss as her entire body starts to shake. James starts to tremor in response, cock pulsing as her pleasure and magic starts to emanate from her body in waves.

He cries out against her heat loudly as his jeans become stained with his own release, squirming in his spot on the floor as he eagerly rides out the tide of her orgasm with his tongue. James is pushed away when it serves to be too much for her, sitting back on his haunches obediently as he licks at his lips, savoring the taste of her on his tongue.

It take a while before their breathing settles, takes her even longer for her to mutter, voice hoarse, “You are forgiven, my king.”

“It was a pleasure to serve you, little one.” he says back to her, heart still beating wildly in his chest. 


	12. eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was a boy forced to grow up too fast.

Later that night after the two have settled into her small, comfortable bed, her in a silk gown, him shirtless, her timid nature seems to return full force. Her cheeks heat as James pulls her into his side, tucking her face in the crook of his neck.

James leaves her be, mind thoughtful as he absentmindedly skims his hand over her back. The motion soothes her after a while, coaxing her to come out of hiding. If the look on her face is any indication, James would guess she has a few thoughts of her own to voice. 

“What is it, little one?” he asks. 

Y/N shakes her head, instead choosing to capture his lips in a kiss. He obliges with a content sigh, finding her pliant as she rolls to her back, his body slotting between her thighs as if he’s been there a thousand times before. 

James quickly recognizes the tactic for what it is, though, ignoring her annoyed whimper as he pulls away.

“Nice try.” he smiles. “Talk to me, baby.” 

She’s quiet, looking everywhere but at him as she says, “You let me put you on your knees.”

“I did.” he murmurs, smirking a little at the reminder. 

“Why?” 

The question catches him off guard, but there’s no hesitation with his answer.

“I wanted to be good for you.” James reveals. The grin he graces her with is equal parts sinful and beautiful. “I was yours to do with as you wanted.”

“But, you’re a  _king_.” she counters, eyes the slightest bit wide. “You shouldn’t be… _submissive_.”

“I will do whatever I damn well please, little one.” he says sternly, offering no room for argument. “And if I want to get on my knees for you, then I will. Understood?”

James doesn’t miss the way her eyes glaze over at his display of power, his body heating up, his heart beating faster. 

“Yes, my king.” she whispers. 

He leans down, lips brushing hers ever so slightly. “Is that what you want? Do you want me to dominate you as a  _king_  would?”

It’s been forever since he’s been able to do this, to have someone trust him enough to take full control. 

She breathes his name, voice small and needy, and James chuckles, nipping at her earlobe playfully. “Say the word, baby, and I’ll do it. I’ll fucking  _wreck_  you.”

“Please.” she begs quietly, and James feels all his resolve break. 

Y/N watches excitedly as the black hue of his eyes she’s come to love returns, obscuring the human blue as he grips her hips firmly. James grinds her body against his, rougher than he’s ever handled her, clothed cock sliding against the silk of her clothes deliciously. 

“We’re going to set some ground rules, baby.” he explains, hips still moving slowly. “Be vocal. If I address you, I expect to be answered immediately.” 

“Yes, my king.”

James draws her hands above her head, wrapping her fingers around the iron bars of the headboard. “You’re not going to touch me.”

Y/N stares at him, aghast, opening her mouth to protest, faltering when James raises an eyebrow. “Yes, my king.” she mutters, sounding very much like a scolded child. 

“Good girl.” James praises, kissing her forehead as reward. She smiles. 

God, he’d do anything for that smile. 

“If something proves to be too much, and you want to stop completely, say the word…” he trails off, looking around the room for a moment. Eyes landing on a vase sitting on the windowsill across the room, he chuckles. “Say the word  _sunflower_.” 

“Yes, my king.” 

“I think that covers the basics, little one. Are you ready?” at her nod, he hums, satisfied. “Good girl. Close your eyes for me.”

Y/N does so obediently, anticipation tingling at her body, the feeling threatening to choke her. 

He hasn’t even touched her yet and she’s already being driven crazy. James can feel her magic permeating the air, the taste of it thick in his mouth, blood and roses. Her defense mechanism at its finest. 

An idea pops into his head. He steps off the bed, feels her powers tenfold, her anxiety rising with it. 

“You need to relax, little one.” he says in an even tone. “Do you trust me?”

She murmurs her assent, breathing deeply. 

“Can you feel me? My power outside yours?” he questions, studying her intently as she nods. “Use it as your anchor, little one. Let me in, let me soothe you.” 

James pushes slightly, attempting to push through the barrier she’s unconsciously created. He smiles as it dissolves, his powers surrounding the two of your completely.  Her breathing evens, body going slack against the mattress. 

“How do you feel?” he asks. 

“Safe.” 

_Safe_. Surrounded by the darkness he emits. James’ heart constricts at the trust she bestows upon him, the love her heart gives so freely. 

“I’ve noticed something little one,” he trails a finger softly over the thin skin of her ankle, her body jumping slightly, the taste of blood and roses tapping at his tastebuds for a sharp second before settling once more. 

“In situations where you’re -“ he pauses for a second, trying to think of a proper explanation. “ -  _emotionally compromised_ , your body either fights mine or takes me over the edge with you. Have you ever noticed that?”

“N-no, my king.” she whispers. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright, my love.” he chuckles. “Except when you force me to come in my pants like a prepubescent human boy.”

Y/N smiles shyly, then, giggling under her breath. 

“Laugh it up now, little one.” James mutters darkly. “Because when I’m forcing orgasm upon orgasm out of that pretty little cunt of yours, you’ll be crying instead.”

Her laugh cuts off into a whimper instead, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks, and James knows she is dying to open her eyes. 

“You have a dirty mouth, my king.” she tells him, voice airy. 

“Oh, baby, there’s a lot more where that came from.” James licks his lips, humor draining from his voice. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Do you trust me, Y/N?”

She doesn’t miss a beat. “Always.”

“I love you, little one.” James says. “You can open your eyes, now. You’re going to want to watch everything I do to you. ”

* * *

Gown pushed right up below her breasts, legs spread as far as they can go, Y/N wails her lover’s name as James presses her hips firmly to the mattress, tonguing at her with the energy of a man possessed. She’s gripping the headboard tight enough to make the metal groan in protest, entire body shaking with the effort of not moving. 

James is well on his way to dragging her third orgasm out of her with just that gifted mouth alone, and so far she’s been so so good for him. It makes a deeply possessive part of him fell satisfied; he’s the only one to make her feel like this, to lose herself in ecstasy.

Her hips buck of her own accord as he inches her closer off that ledge, finally breaking her steadfast obedience. James pulls away with a grin that makes her wary, her body trembling even harder. 

“Oh, little one,” he whispers, laughing. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“W-what are you going to do?” she asks, fearfully. 

“Let go of the headboard.” James orders. She does so slowly, fisting the sheets out of nerves. “Turn onto your stomach.”

“James?”

The man in question merely shushes her, running a calloused palm over her ass.   James draws his hand back, bringing it down against her skin. The impact makes her gasp, knees drawing up in an effort to get away from him. James merely grabs her by the ankle to drag her back to him.

“Alright?” he tests the waters, makes sure she’s comfortable. It takes a moment, but she lets him continue, pressing upwards into the palm of his hand. “Eager minx. Ten hits, count them out loud or I start over.”

Y/N braces herself, holding her breath as James draws his hand back. The first slap is firm, not hard enough to actually hurt, but hard enough that she feels it, understands the fact he could truly bring her pain if he so felt like it.

“One.” she counts out. The next two come in quick succession, gaining traction. “Two. Three.”

“Good girl.” he kisses her tail bone, following the gentle gesture with three harsh hits. “Four. Five. Six.”

The next two burn, making her cry out, eyes watering. “S-seven. Eight”

James pauses, massaging her calf. “You know you can stop me, and I will do so without hesitation.”

“I-I’m okay, James.” she looks over her shoulder, shooting him an encouraging smile. “Keep going.”

“If you’re sure.” James follows his words with the hardest spank yet, the feeling making her toes curl. The moan she releases is low, the wanton sound muffled by the pillow she buries her face in.

“Nine.” 

Y/N feels like she’s floating, head stuck in the clouds. James pets her hair, nails scratching gently at her scalp. She practically purrs at the touch.

“One more, little one, and we’re done.” he tells her. “Okay, baby?”

“Yes, my king.” the words are languid, nearly slurred. 

The last leaves his palm hot, a grunt leaving his lips as he delivers the final blow. She shouts the last count, voice hoarse, and James is immediately smother her trembling body with his, chest to her back as he kisses over her shoulder, hands gently massaging her tender ass. 

“Oh, baby, you did amazing.” he praises, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. “Thank you for trusting me. I love you, little one.”

“I love you.” she nudges him. “But you need to get off me, you’re heavy.”

“Sorry, little one.”

She cuddles into his chest, happy and sated.

* * *

“Are you going to let me do anything for you?” Y/N asks him after a few moments. She straddles his waist, impish grin as she slowly rolls her hips over the bulge in his pajama pants. His jaw clenches at the feeling, hands clamping down on her waist to put her at a halt. 

“Not yet, little one.” he whispers, strained. “Not yet.”

“Okay.” she pouts a little, but concedes nonetheless.

“Distract me.” James requests.

“Distraction you? From what I want to do?” Y/N asks, watching him nod. “Okay…How do you know Sam?”

James folds his hands behind his head as Y/N waits for him to answer, taking a deep breath. “That’s a long story.”

“And we have nothing but time.”

The god is silent for another long moment, flashes of brotherhood and a war fought flickering in his tortured mind. “We were young, just barely of age, when we first met. The Titans and the younger generation of gods were at odds with each other, on the verge of war.”

“The  _Titanomachy_.” Y/N mutters. She had been young then, too - a young baby deity barely dexterous enough to hold a silver spoon. Her mother fought in that war, somehow came out of it alive. 

“My brothers and I were alongside our fathers, training to become the next generation of elite gods, to eventually take their thrones and rule the realms as we do now.” James continues, eyes distant, far far away from the present. “My youngest sister, Natalia, she wasn’t old enough to fight yet, but she studied her own father anyways, learning the ways of carnage, of aggression, of  _power_. Margaret did much of the same; though, she was much more into the analytical components of war. She could have fought alongside us, but she chose not to.”

_I am not like our sister, James,_ he could remember her saying, voice as serious as ever inside his head.  _She is cold, calculating. She will either destroy the world or rule it, and I want no part of that. Get away while you still can. She is truly Ares’ daughter, and that guarantees a life of chaos for those that surround her._

“You have sisters?” James nods his answer, sighing. Y/N dares to think he sounds nostalgic.  

“My mother was not afraid of sexual ambiguity.” he explains. “She made it her mission to sleep with as many  _important_  gods as she could. She succeeded, I guess - Ares, Poseidon, Hades, even Zeus succumbed to her deviance and seduction.”

“Did you love her, your mother?” Y/N asks. “You’ve never talked about her much. Who was she?”

“I suppose I did love her, somewhat, as do all sons feel for their mothers.” James muses, trying to conjure up an imagine of her. All he gets is bright blue eyes and a mane of long, dark hair, the only thing he remembers of the woman. “She was a goddess, albeit an unimportant one. I’ve been told she was beautiful, and that’s why she bore as many powerful children as she did. I was very young when I taken away to live with my father, so I don’t recall much about her.”

“That’s sad.” Y/N whispers, heart breaking for him.

James merely shrugs, voice flat and emotionless as he says, “She’s dead now, so there’s nothing to reconcile.”

Y/N’s aware of the tangent he’s delved into, the story pitched far away from the topic of his relationship with Sam, but she can’t help but unravel the thread even more, eager to find out everything she can about her enigma of a king. “What happened to her?”

“Natalia killed her, naturally.” 

He remembers her showing up on his doorstep covered in blood - their  _mother’s_  blood, dripping from her ivory dress, ever the image of innocence and frailty - grinning. James remembers being angry, holding his own blade to his sibling’s throat as he roared in her face, threatened to take her life in return for her ruthless actions.

He hadn’t seen the woman in ages though he was hurt nonetheless. She tore apart the one thing that defined them all as family, disregarding were all out to kill one another at that point, most of the bonds broken between them - especially concerning James and his brothers.

Y/N watches a fire blaze in the blue of his eyes. “Why?” 

“She accused her of abandoning us.” James explains, jaw set. “Said her children were all monsters because of her.”

“Is she correct? Are you all monsters?” 

James wants to say yes. He wants to say that every single one of them turned out to be nothing more than filth, but, as his heart beats for the woman seated in his lap staring at him with saddened eyes, hurting for him, he can’t help but hesitate. 

“I-I don’t know.” he whispers, voice cracking. He falls silent again, lips pressed into a thin line, and Y/N lets him be, lets him collect his thoughts. “After I heard of her passing, I became a recluse until the war.”

“Where you met Sam.”

“Where I met Sam, yes.” he confirms. “Though he went by his father’s title at the time, seeing as the original was slain by my father years before. A business negotiation turned sour, I’ve heard. Neither I nor Sam know the specifics.”

Y/N gasps, and James nods. “Horrible, I’m aware.”

“How are you two friends, then? If your father killed his?”

“We were on the battlefield, fighting for the future of the divine realm as we know it, when I was struck down, a sword slicing through my shoulder.” 

Searing, excruciating pain bites at James’ memory as Y/N’s eyes fall to the lengthy scar on his left shoulder, starting at the curve before cutting in a straight line through his pectoral, the only mar to his beautiful, otherwise untouched skin.

“Exhausted, delirious, I fell to the ground, and I assume my assailant thought I was dead already, because he did not try to strike me again.” his voice is quiet, thick with an emotion she can’t place. “Honestly, I thought I was dead, too. My father already was. Why should I live on any longer?”

Faced caked with a gritty mixture of mud and the blood of his fallen enemies, he remembers lying there, futilely fighting for a life he should have given up. Across the field, through the sea of dead bodies, he could see his father’s own corpse, head separated from its body - an empire fallen.

“But then Sam saved you.” Y/N guesses, and James actually smiles a little at that. 

“Stubborn bastard wouldn’t let me die.” James rolls his watery eyes. “He grabbed my by the back of my armor, uncaring of my willingness to give up, and dragged my sorry ass off the field and to a healer. Said the only reason he wanted to keep me alive was because he wanted answers.”

“About his father?” Y/N asks.

“Yes.” James answers. “He was highly disappointed to find that I was just as answerless as he. We were both confused boys, fatherless. I was to take on Hades’ legacy, he was to take on Icarus’, and we have no conceivable idea how. We bonded through our misfortune, lifted one another up high enough to achieve a level of success, and then we went our separate ways.”

“Just like that?” 

“Just like that.” James says. “I had a family out for my blood. I had no time for gallantries or friends.”

He was a boy forced to mature too fast, and Y/N feels tears start to well up in her eyes, spilling over like a broken fountain.

“I am the one who should be feeling sad, little one.” James chuckles weakly, pulling her into his chest, kissing her head with a sigh. “Stop crying, please. I cannot bear it when you cry.”

Y/N wipes at her cheeks harshly, shaking her head. “How’d we go from me trying to seduce you to  _this_?”

“I tend to kill the mood.” James says, self-depreciating. “My apologies, little one.”

“I’m the one who asked questions, so I should be apologizing. I didn’t mean to pry.” she kisses his chest. “Forgive me.”

“There’s no need to forgive you. You deserve to know all about me.” he hugs her tighter. “You still want to marry me after hearing that?”

“Only makes me realize how strong of a man you really are, James. I’m not going anywhere.” she promises vehemently. “I love you.”

“I love you.” he echoes. Careful, as so not to jostle her too much, James reaches over to turn off the light sitting on the wooden bedside table. The only light in the room is from the subtle glow of the moon. “I think we’ve had enough talk for the day. Let’s sleep, little one.”

“Don’t let go.”

“Never.”

And with that, they sleep - the king whose life was burned into ashes holding securely onto the queen who was slowly rebuilding him anew, brick by broken brick.


	13. twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding talk commences.

Bright and early the next morning, the sun barely risen above the horizon, bathing the sky in placid violets, much to James’ utmost annoyance, the two of them head to the meadow. James carries an absurdly large picnic basket as Y/N leads him down the muddy path, feet bare against the damp Earth, blue dress billowing behind her as she hums a tune James has heard from her too many times to count. Though the tune once annoyed him, he finds himself oddly at peace as he listens to the familiar melody.

“You sing that all the time, when you’re here in your element.” James acknowledges. “What’s it from?”

“My mother taught it to me a long time ago.” Y/N explains quietly, sighing. “She used to love the Earth as I did, and we would spend time together in a meadow much like this one, enjoying nature and the life it presented.”

It dawns on James, then, that Y/N and Demeter’s relationship wasn’t as unbearable as it is now. She used to have a proper mother, one that loved her.

“What happened? To make her the way she is now?” James questions. 

Y/N casts him a look over her shoulder, eyes suddenly sad. They walk in silence the rest of the path, coming to sit underneath the familiar oak tree. With her head lying against his shoulder, Y/N pulls idly at the grass underneath them as she mutters, “She met a mortal man and fell in love with him.”

James’ eyebrows raise in shock as he looks down at the goddess beside him, finding her looking out at the sky, looking as distant as he felt the night before, bearing his soul on a silver platter for her to consume. “A  _mortal_  man?”

To James’ understanding, Demeter loathed the humans. For her to fall in love with one was, quite frankly, an astounding revelation. 

Y/N nods. “He broke her heart and fell in love with a mortal woman. My mother was pregnant with his demigod child, though he wasn’t aware of that fact.”

“What did she do?” He knew this story didn’t have a happy ending for either party involved.

“She made him watch as she tore out the woman’s heart.” Y/N says, voice stricken. “And then she killed him, too - a slow and painful death that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.”

“And what of the child?”

“She killed it, too.” James sucks in an aghast breath at the admission. The child was innocent. It could not be blamed his or her father’s vices.

Y/N remembers finding her mother kneeling at the hearth of the fireplace, begging Eileithyia for forgiveness as she shoved a knife into her swollen stomach, remembers the sharp smell of copper as blood spilled over the floor, remembers her mother’s heartbroken scream, a sound Y/N will never forget. It was the sound of her mother losing herself forever.

James watches her eyes water, her lashes batting quickly to fight away the wave of incoming tears. His heart wrenches, wishing he could take away whatever anguish she was feeling. He also can’t help but understand Demeter a little bit better, feeling a strange bout of sympathy for the way she changed.

“She was never the same.” Y/N tells him. “The leash she held around my throat became a noose, and I was never to be let out of her sight. She controlled every aspect of my life from that point forward, never letting me choose anything for myself.”

“She didn’t want to lose her other child, too.” James notes. “You were all she had left.”

“And then I wanted to live here on Earth.” Y/N says, gesturing to the peaceful environment surrounding them. “She was outraged, initially, said I’d never make it on my own. It took convincing, but she eventually let me explore, so as long as I brought someone that would look over me.”

“And that person was Sam, I’m assuming?” James asks, feeling her nod against his shoulder. 

“He understood the fact that I wanted to get out on my own, to be my own person.” Y/N smiles a little. “He was the first friend I had in a while, since my mother ostracized me from my other friends, and we spent the first few decades of me on my own traveling, trying to find somewhere for me to plant my roots. We eventually settled on this place.”

And James understood why she preferred the rural, homey town. Everyone was, to James’ understand, some degree of family, whether it be by blood or association. She found a place she loved that loved her back.

“How long have you been here?” James questions. He wraps a securing arm around her shoulder, tugging her legs into his lap, the dirty soles of her feet marking up the denim jeans she forced upon him. He secretly hoped they’d ruin.

“About three or four generations, I think.” she reveals. 

“And you never found a gentleman caller to sweep you off your feet?” 

She shakes her head at his question, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. “Never. After seeing what my mother went through, I avoided finding true love like the plague, from mortals and gods alike. I didn’t want to be broken like her, so I never bought into romance. I vowed to not let it fool me and turn me hopelessly blind.”

“Yet you gave me a chance.” James says, kissing her temple. “Why is that?”

With a shrug of her shoulder, she turns her head to gaze up at him, already finding him looking back, blue eyes filled with a love that would never cease to amaze her. “I could tell you were different, that you weren’t like any man I’d ever encountered before.”

James, heart swelling, kisses her delicately on the lips. “I love you, little one.”

“And I love you, my king.”

* * *

James lies with his head in her lap, eye closed as the cool breeze flutters past them. He can feel her tugging at his hair, the pulls gentle and meticulous, and he knows that he’s going to end up with some sort of ridiculous braid in his hair. Not that he minds; his love could do whatever she wants. 

“I think we should have the wedding here in the meadow.” James voices his idea. He feels her hands stop, and smiles crookedly. “You like the idea?”

“I  _love_  the idea, actually.” Y/N says, giggling. “I want to have it before summer ends, though.”

Spring was starting to wane, and soon it would give way to the scorching heat of the summer. In a few short months, summer would move into fall, and everything would start to decay. Y/N hated the fall and, by extension, the winter. The Earth seemed so dark and dreary during those unforgiving months.

“Then that would be somewhat soon, but we don’t have to rush.” he mutters, head arching into the feeling of her scratching gently at his scalp. “We can always wait until the summer of next year.”

“The sooner the better.” Y/N tells him. “I’m eager to have you as my husband.”

“The feeling is mutual, wife.” he opens his eyes, finds her smile dazzling down at him. “I will talk to Ilyse. She will assist you in the planning, if that is alright by you.”

“That would be perfect.” she kisses him, grateful. “What about a honeymoon?”

The excited tone of her voices makes James think she already has a destination in mind. “What are you thinking, baby?”

“It’s been ages since I’ve been to Florence.” she grins at him. “What about that?”

James shrugs. “Whatever you want, little one. As long as I am with you, anywhere we go will be perfect.”

* * *

“When do you plan to go back?” Y/N asks him a little while later, popping a grape into her mouth. They had laid out the picnic she had brought, feasting on the fruits immediately. 

James shrugs, teeth tearing into a strawberry. “I suppose it will be soon, within the week. Contrary to popular belief, I do have to oversee the Underworld and work. Trials will be coming soon, and I am the judge.”

“Trials?” Y/N asks. 

“To choose whether or not a soul belongs in the Underworld.” James explains. “When a person dies, human or divine, their soul comes to me first. And I choose whether they stay or go above to Elysium.”

“What do the souls that amass between trials do?” Y/N asks. 

“They reside in the Veil, the threshold between life and death.” James says. “In that time, they can watch their loved ones still live on, only they can’t talk or touch them, and they cannot be seen by those that are still living.”

“Seems miserable.” Y/N couldn’t imagine living that way, unable to communicate with the ones she loved.

“I suppose it is, yes.” he agrees. “But that’s the price of death.”

James takes a sip of water, the liquid running down his chin as he asks, “Will you be coming back with me? Or do you wish to stay here longer? I do not want you to be ill.”

Y/N ponders the choice for a moment before shooting him a smile. “I will come back with you, my king. The more I accustom myself to your environment during these times, the better off I am when I wish to stay long periods. But you will be happy to hear that during the off months, when nothing grows, it serves no problem to be away form Earth.”

James feels the possessive side of him grow with joy, suddenly wishing that autumn would hurry up and present itself. He wished to covet his love for as long as he wanted without fear of hurting her.  And, as he watches her mirror his longing gaze, he knows she feels the same way.

* * *

The sun has started to set when she hits him with the out of field question. James kneels behind her, struggling to weave delicate flowers into her hair as she sits idly.

“Why won’t you lie with me?” she asks him, suddenly. James’ fumbling fingers accidentally tug at her hair in surprise, making her wince. He doesn’t say anything, just sits frozen in place behind her. “James?”

“That is a big step to take, little one.” he says carefully, resuming his braiding. “Especially for you.”

“I am not breakable.” she growls, offended, crossing her arms. “And I am not that innocent.”

James, unable to help himself, huffs out a laugh. “Compared to me you are.”

“What are you so afraid of?” 

The tables have turned, in her opinion, the roles reversing to have cast him as the wary one, the one afraid of intimacy.

“I don’t want to ruin you.” he admits, tucking a wildflower into her hair. “I’m afraid I’m going to taint you.”

“But don’t I get a say in what happens to me, though?” Y/N counters. 

She has a point, James concedes to himself. 

“What about our wedding night?” James asks. 

Her nose crinkles. “That is terribly cliche for a woman to lose her virginity to her husband on their wedding night.”

Rolling his eyes, James shakes his head. “I believe it is  _romantic_.”

“What do you know of romance?” she asks, playful. “Fine, our wedding night it is.”

* * *

Night falls quickly before them, leaving Y/N and James to navigate the way back to the cottage clumsily, trying to avoid tripping over fallen branches on the path. Giddy with the easiness of the day, they pause to kiss often, pressing one another against stray trees in an effort to be close. By the time they reach her door, Y/N’s eyes are dilated with excitement, breathing the slightest bit labored. 

Forcefully, she pushes James inside, him dropping the basket in surprise as she  forces him to sit down on the couch. Eagerly, she climbs in his lap, kissing him with the utmost determination, her tongue slipping past his lips as his mouth opens in a startled moan.

“Let me do something for you,” she pleads. “ _Please_ , James.”

The neediness she exudes eliminates any protest that the god could form.

How powerless he is against the dainty bird perched in his lap.

“Okay, okay.” he agrees, just as breathless as she. “Have your way with me, little one.”

Y/N grins against his jaw as she plants kisses down the side of his neck, fingers making haste of dragging his shirt over his head. It leaves his chest on display, miles of tan, toned skin for her to ogle shamelessly. Her king was so beautiful it was almost unfair.

She tells him so, watching the way his blush spreads down his cheeks and across his chest. James looks away with a shy smile, embarrassed at the praise. 

He wasn’t used to such gentleness yet.

Gripping his chin in her hand, she forces him to look at him. “You  _are_  beautiful, James.”

“If you say so, little one.” James whispers, biting his lip. 

“One of these days, I will make you believe me.” she says, determined to make him see the light as she sucks gently at the base of his neck. James sighs at the feeling, head tipping back to rest against the back of the couch. “You are so, so beautiful.”

“Baby…” he trails off, voice cracking. “ _Please_.”

Y/N trails her fingers down his chest, feeling the quickened intake of his breathes as she drags them low. Her hands reach his belt and she glances upward, waiting for his nod before unbuckling the leather to pull it out of the loops. 

Popping the button of his jeans, she shamelessly slides one hand between them and his black boxers, grinding her palm against his half-hard erection. James chokes on a gasp, unable to keep his hips from bucking into the feeling.

“Tell me what to do.” she says, watching him nod shakily.

Together, they make work of his pants and boxers, the clothes strewn across the floor as she sits back on his thighs, his cock bobbing against his stomach. He’s thick, her fingers barley able to wrap around him. His flesh is hot to the touch. 

She can’t help but think about him pushing inside her, stretching her in a way she’d never felt before. The thought makes her stomach clench.

“S-stroke me, little one.” he instructs shakily. She slowly moves her hand back and forth over him with a loose fist, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she keeps an eye on James’ face. He watches her with hooded eyes, hands gripping her waist like a vice. 

“Like this?” she asks. 

“Tighter grip.” he murmurs. He covers her hand with this, closing her fist tighter around him, adding a little twist on the upstroke towards the head. The movement makes him groan, a deep guttural sound that makes Y/N tremble. Clear liquid drips over her fingers as he lets go of her hand. 

“Pre-come.” he explains, gasping. “Means you’re doing good.”

“Yeah?” she asks excitedly, reveling in the nod.

“So good.” he moans, hips shifting against the couch cushions. “A little faster, please, baby.”

Y/N could get used to hearing him beg. She obliges, stroking him with sure, quick movements that make his world spin. His orgasm is approaching quicker than he’d like to admit, body quivering uncontrollably as he struggles to contain his moans. 

James drags her into a kiss to muffle his sounds, hips rolling into her hand as she pulls him closer and closer to the edge. Like a tsunami, his orgasm crashes over him almost violently, his teeth digging into the plump flesh of her bottom lip as he spills into her hand.

Y/N slows her movements as his shaking starts to cease, letting go as he slumps back against the couch, mouth open as he pants. Interested, she looks down at her hand, finds his come dripping down her fingers and onto his stomach where his spent cock lays.

She curiously brings a finger to her lips, sucking it into her mouth to clear it of his release. James curses at the sight, eyes wide. It tastes salty on her tongue, but not unpleasant, and she keeps her eyes on him as she licks the rest off her palm. Glancing down at his stained stomach, she grins as she asks, “May I?”

James can do nothing but nod, stunned. 

Y/N sinks to the floor, settling between his thighs as she drags her tongue over his stomach slowly, hearing him mewl quietly under his breath. Carefully, she grips him once more, gingerly taking the head between her lips to suck the rest of his essence form his skin.

James jolts like he’s been electrocuted, groaning, and Y/N can’t help but feel smug, swirling her tongue against him. She lets him tug her back into his lap after a moment, grinning victoriously as he claims her mouth for a ferocious kiss. 

“Good?” she asks between pecks, giggling at his eagerness.

“So  _fucking_  good, little one.” he praises. His fingers push the skirt of her dress up, halting at the waistline of her panties. “May I?”

At her consent, he shoves her underwear to the side, mouthing against the outline of her breast as he pushes to fingers inside her, pumping, to Y/N’s utmost approval, roughly as his thumb slips over her clit. His mouth dampens the fabric of her dress as he seeks out one of her nipples, tonguing the peak into hardness as he holds it gingerly between his teeth. His free hand rests in the valley of her throat, shaking against her skin.

All James wants is to fist her throat and claim her like the animal he is.

Y/N can do naught but grip onto his shoulders, nails scraping deliciously against his skin as he works her into a quick orgasm. 

“C’mon, little one.” he growls against her skin. “Come for your  _king_. Let me see you fall apart.”

His voice is rough with his command, followed by a sharp nip of teeth. He curls his fingers against a spot inside her that has her shrieking. His answering grin is predatory as he asks, “There? Right there?”

“Yes!” she chants the word repeatedly, the knot inside her stomach threatening to break at any second. She pulls at his hair harshly, and that hand inside her pumps faster, almost furiously. 

It doesn’t take long before he catapults her into euphoria.

“Oh! My king!” she cries out as she clenches around his fingers, hugging his head to her chest as she freezes, mouth open as pleasure washes over her. Her orgasm seems to last forever, a mind-numbing ebb through her body. 

James strokes her hair as she comes down, murmuring sweet words into her ear. “So amazing for me, darling. So beautiful. I love you so much, little one.”

He withdraws his fingers slowly, popping the wet digits into his mouth much like she had down earlier. “I love the way you taste.” he admits. “Makes me want to get my mouth on you.”

“Then why don’t you?” Y/N asks against his skin, surprised at her own forwardness. James chuckles darkly, flipping their bodies so she lies back against the couch cushions, him between her thighs on the floor. 

Oh, how the tables have turned once more. 

“You’re in for a long night, baby.” he warns, kissing her knee. “I’m going to make you fall apart.”

“Mm,” she hums, blissful. “I can’t wait, my king.”


	14. thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bomb is dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not sorry.

James was on edge, barely clinging onto his sanity as he dealt with the stresses  of overseeing the trials. Assuming the roles of the judge, jury, and executioner is slowly catapulting him into an ever-present state of mayhem. Paired with the wedding planning that Y/N was forcing him to partake in instead of manning the helm herself, James isn’t sure he’ll even make it to see the end of summer.

His love might end up marrying a damned ghost before it was all said and done with.

James runs a sweaty palm over his face, debating the merits of braining himself against the thick wood of his work desk before the recess between trials ended. He had a blessed half-hour to do nothing whatsoever, and James was going to take full advantage of it.

He leans his head back against his chair, eyes closing. Maybe, just maybe, he can take a quick cat nap. Just as the merciful beginnings of sleep start to tinge at the edges of his consciousness, a quiet knock startles him out of his idle state.

Head snapping up, his eyes open, he finds Y/N standing in the doorway of his office. A small smile curves at his lips. “Hi, baby.”

Her bare feet pad against the hardwood floor quietly as she crosses the room. Pushing back away from his desk, he pulls the goddess into his lap, reveling in the warmth she radiated. Sharp eyes assess his appearance, and judging by the worry that flashes across her face, James assumes he looks worse for wear.

“You’re exhausted.” she notes, running gentle fingers across the stubble on his cheek. James nods in agreement, knowing better than to try and downplay how  tired he truly was. “You should let someone take over for you.”

“I can’t do that, little one.” he tells her, hands tracing over the silk of her dress, the cool, soft fabric a welcome feeling underneath his fingertips. “I owe it to them to oversee their fates personally.”

Y/N understood. He’d explained it to her right before the trails had commenced - the need to hear the stories of everyone crossing the threshold of death, the need to tell every single soul to their face whether or not they’d end up in the Underworld alone or in Elysium with their loved ones. 

James was the ruler, and he refused to let someone do his job for him even if that meant hearing tales of misery, of hearing cries of anguish when he condemned someone to hell.

The trials tortured James, but it was nothing he couldn’t endure.

“I know, James.” Y/N kisses his forehead. “But that doesn’t mean you have to refuse a break.”

There was a gleam in her eyes that made James wary. She shifts back a little on his thighs, fingers going to the messy knot of his tie, tossing it to the floor. Kinking an eyebrow up in question, she asks, “What do you say about letting me relieve some of that stress of yours?”

All the blood in James’ body rushes south even as he shakes his head in refusal. Y/N pouts at him, eyebrows furrowing. “Please?”

“Little one…” he trails off, teeth digging into his bottom lip. She threads a hand into his hair, tilting his head to bring his lips close to hers. Their mouths brush together in a tempting dance, and James knows there’s no way he’d ever be able to deny her.

The smirk that quirks at her lips tells him that she knows, too.

James heaves a defeated sigh, rolling his eyes as Y/N grins victoriously. Without looking away from her, he calls out, “Ilyse!”

After a moment, the woman in question pops her head into the doorway, head tilting amusement at the sight before her. “Yes, boss?”

“Can you postpone another thirty minutes?” he asks. Y/N winks at the assistant from over her shoulder, and James scowls.

“I’ll make it an hour.” Ilyse chuckles, shaking her head. She leaves without another word, leaving the two of them alone once more as the door clicks shut. Y/N breaks out into giggles as soon as she walks away, unable to help herself.

James swats her lightly on the ass, annoyed. “You are a menace.”

“I’m your menace, though.” she pushes him back against the leather of the chair, hands immediately going for his belt. “Now, I want you to be quiet for me. Can you do that?”

James licks his lips with a conceding nod as she pulls his belt from his slacks, metal clanging as she lets it clatter to the floor. The button is yanked open before she grips his zipper, pulling it down slowly.

She’s teasing him, James recognizes, his eyes narrowing as she takes her time untucking his black dress shirt. Her fingers brush against the lower part of his abdomen as she pushes the fabric out of her way, his muscles jumping at the feeling.

Y/N hooks a finger into the band of his underwear, pulling it back only to snap it against his skin. James growls under his breath in annoyance.

“Little one.” he warns quietly, forgetting her instructions. “I am not in the mood to be teased.”

The look she gives him in return is, to be truthful, a little frightening. 

“I thought I told you to be quiet?” she scolds.

Y/N was calling the shots. She held authority over him, over his pleasure.

He has to endure it. He has to be good for her.

Y/N peels his boxers away from his body, and his cock curves toward his stomach, the head already dripping. Sitting back on her knees, her eyes take in his appearance, thoroughly enjoying his disheveled demeanor.

She looks ready to eat him alive, and his cheeks pink at the undivided attention.

“Stop staring.” he mumbles, unable to help himself.

“Be quiet.” she digs her nails into his thigh as punishment, and he has to choke back a whimper at the feeling. “That’s twice already.”

His gaze drops as shame floods through him, and every fiber in his being screams at him to apologize. James merely bites his lip in an attempt to keep from saying anything else.

Y/N’s hand on him feels like liberation, bliss clouding his mind as she strokes him slowly. His breath stutters in his chest but he complies in not making a sound. She smiles at him, thumb circling the head in an effort to antagonize him, her powers eliciting another sting of pleasure out of his body.

As that odd taste of her magic takes over his taste buds, his jaw sets in determination, puffing a breath through his nose.

“So you  _can_  listen.” Y/N comments, smirking. “Good.”

James has to remind himself to breathe as she licks a stripe up his cock, her sinful tongue on a mission to destroy his composure. Just as he think he’s found his sense of control, her lips wrap around him.

James isn’t sure what surprises him most - the brazen way Y/N takes him into her mouth or the overwhelming surge of pleasure that blazes through his being. 

His hands grip the arms of the chair desperately, entire body trembling. Her head bobs slowly as she tries to establish a rhythm, hand working over what she can’t take. Her mouth is so warm, so wet around him, and James loses his mind at the feeling. 

Her inexperience is obvious, but James couldn’t give a damn, head tipping back as she devotes herself to giving him ecstasy. His teeth threaten to break through the fragile skin of his lip as he bites down harshly, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows a moan. 

Y/N pulls back to catch her breath after a few moments, smiling devilishly at the sight of him falling apart before her. Running her free hand down his thigh, she kisses the side of his knee. 

“Are you going to come, my king?” she asks quietly.

James was right there on the edge of plummeting down the cliff into unfiltered pleasure, stomach clenching tight as his release loomed over the horizon. Just a few more strokes, and he’d be done for.

That’s why he can’t help the truly pathetic whine that rumbles from his throat as she lets go, putting his orgasm to a screeching halt. His eyes find hers, seeing them sparkle with amusement. 

“Beg me.” she says simply. “Beg me to let you come.”

James starts to babble without hesitation, the barrier between his thoughts and mouth dissolving completely as he pushes his pride aside to plead with the sensual, commanding woman kneeling between his knees. “Little one,  _please_. Please let me come. I’ll do anything. Whatever you want. Just - just don’t leave me like this.”

Y/N takes her hands off him completely, and dread sinks in his stomach. 

She was going to leave him like this, wanton and needy. 

He’s just about to start begging again when his stomach twisted, knot of pleasure grabbing him by the throat. His hips buck, uncontrolled, hands balling into fists as he whimpers.

“Fuck!” he cries out when her magic pulses through him again, gaze flitting down to find her watching him intently. “L-little one…”

“Yes, my king?”  there’s a teasing lilt to her tone. 

Molten lava flows through his veins, and James is gasping for air as she breaks him. His body tremors as come spurts from his cock, mouth hanging open in a silent scream, glazed eyes trained on Y/N’s. 

His orgasm seems to last an eternity before he relaxes back into the chair, panting, exhausted. Eyelids fluttering, a blissful smile crosses his face. 

“Wow.” James’ voice is breathy, making Y/N giggle. “That was…fucking  _wow_.”

“Really?” 

The bashful way she asks gives James whiplash. He’s quick to lean over, ignoring the quickly cooling come on his stomach, reassuring her with a firm kiss to the lips. She melts into his embrace, sighing quietly. 

James pulls away with a quiet laugh. “You spoil me, little one.”

“I like spoiling you.” she admits. “You deserve to be spoiled.”

“And so do you, little one.” he kisses her forehead. “How much time do we have?”

She looks to the clock, eyebrows raising. “About twenty minutes, why?”

James grins. “Get your ass on that desk.”

* * *

It’s late that night when James emerges from his office. He’s dead on his feet as he wanders the hallways, following the twinkling laughter of his fiancé. He’s happy to find her sitting with Ilyse in the dining room, a glass of wine in her hand and Lumina in her lap. Papers are strewn about the table between them - preparation for the upcoming wedding.

James settles in the chair next to her, head nuzzling her shoulder. Her fingers card through his hair as she peers over a list. “What’re you looking at?”

“Guest list.” she explains. “I want to invite your brothers. And Margaret. If you’ll let me.”

James shrugs. “If you think it’s wise.”

Margaret would be no worries. No matter the tension going on between them, she’d act with civil grace. And, though they’d never admit it, Thor and Bruce were intimidated enough by her enough to keep themselves in check. 

“You’re not inviting Natalia. That’s good.” Ilyse comments, sipping her wine. “She’s a bad omen.”

James’ eyes widen.

“Bad omen?” Y/N questions. “What do you mean?”

“She ruins everything.” Ilyse explains.”Either that or he just has bad luck with weddings.”

James goes very, very still as Y/N turns her head, pinning him with a look he can’t decipher even if he wanted to. Lumina peers at him over her arm, and he finds that her expression mirrors the panic he feels.

“You had bad luck with weddings? What is she on about?” Y/N asks.

James sighs. “Ilyse, excuse us, please. You, too, Lumina.”

The assistant dashes out of there with the feline close at her heels, leaving the two divines sitting in a deafening silence. 

“James?” she says after a moment. “Have you been married before?”

He nods once and watches the heartbreak cross her face. Guilt tightens like a noose around his neck.

“And you didn’t think that this would be important information to tell me? You didn’t think that I should know that you had a  _wife_?” her voice breaks on the last word, and James, knowing he can’t, wants nothing but to reach out and comfort her.

“Little one…” James starts, but she’s rising to her feet, shaking her head. 

“No! Don’t you dare try and talk your way out of this!” Y/N yells. She paces around the table, black skirt of her [dress](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.yoox.biz%2Fitems%2F34%2F34778967rw_11_g_f.jpg&t=MTc2Y2Q3NGZkYjBhY2QwZDBlYjEyYTU3Y2EzMGFmOWZhZjZkNDU2YyxjMU9Hckc4OQ%3D%3D&b=t%3At42ED5IgDVMlFC9b3BJsOw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fkillmongerdreams.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F171574592222%2Fdissonance-13&m=1) billowing behind her in an angry cloud. “You had a wife, James! A  _wife_! And you didn’t tell me!”

“I thought…” he trails off, unable to finish.

_He thought he could keep it a secret._

Y/N seems to understand his unspoken words loud and clear. Tears well in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. “What else are you hiding, James?”

“I wasn’t hiding it!” James lies through his teeth. “I was going to tell you!”

“When, then?” Y/N demands. “After we were married? After I gave my eternal soul to you?”

James’ head drops low in shame. 

All is silent for a moment before he hears the unmistakable clang of metal, looking up to find Y/N holding both her necklace and her ring, glaring down at the hellstone pieces like they offended her. She chucks them at him, the jewelry crashing into his chest where they bounced into the floor.

“W-what?” his voice wavers. “Y/N, what are you doing?”

“Goodbye, James.”

James rushes to his feet as she tries to make her exit. “Y/N, wait!”

He’s thrown back into the chair by a wave of her hand, glued to his seat, immobile. 

“Y/N, please!”

His pleas are answered by a slamming door.


	15. fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor arrives.

The sunflower on her windowsill is dying. 

Y/N merely stares at it, hands hovering over its petals, unable to bring herself to restore its life. The past few weeks introduced the same conundrum; the anchor weighing down her heart seemed to inhibit her powers - her entire reason for existing. 

Y/N doesn’t know how long she stands there looking at the poor flower, a forceful knock forcing her out of her depressed reverie. Sighing, she smoothes the skirt of her dress, tentatively opening the door. A dumbly hopeful part of her secretly wishes it’s James, standing there with his heart in his hand, but she’s instead met with a woman.

She’s confident in a way Y/N is not, that much the young goddess can tell right away,  commandeering and authoritative in her ramrod straight stance alone. With flawless dark curls and bold lipstick, she stands before Y/N in a truly [stunning red dress](https://78.media.tumblr.com/c408c8ebb4bcf72cf32b3d3a46368e87/tumblr_olgztvadKc1s1d9b2o1_500.jpg), dauntingly tall black stilettos adorning her feet. The woman seems familiar in a way that Y/N can’t place at first, but then she smirks, the expression an exact replica of James’.

“Margaret?” Y/N asks, fear creeping into her bones. 

Little did she know, Ares’ daughter could feel Y/N’s magic start to accumulate, creating a palpable barrier between them, darker than Margaret expected it to be. It reflected an aura similar to her brother’s, only laced with something stronger. Margaret couldn’t penetrate it even if she wanted to.

The older goddess merely smiles, the action meant to disarm. “No need to worry. I am not here to harm you.”

Her words only prove to frighten the girl even more, barrier growing thicker between them. Margaret wondered if she even knew it was happening. 

“I’m here to speak on behalf of my asinine half-brother.” Margaret explains. 

Y/N raises an eyebrow. “And why isn’t he here himself?”

“Because he is unaware that I am here.” Margaret says, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. “He would have surely protested if I told him that I wanted to speak with you myself.”

“And why do you want to speak with me?” 

“Because I’m here to tell you about his first marriage and make you understand why he kept it from you.” Margaret’s dark eyes peer into hers, burning with an emotion Y/N couldn’t quite place. Raising an eyebrow, she gestures toward the door. “Well? Are you going to let me in?”

Y/N takes a deep breath, taking a moment to steel herself before stepping to the side. Margaret feels a breach in her defenses and quickly crosses the threshold, taking it upon herself to find a seat on the couch. She pats the seat beside her in invitation. “Come, Y/N. You will want to be seated for this.”

“Now, I plead you to hear this with an accepting mind.” Margaret grabs her hands, skin cool to the touch. “James has told you about our mother, yes? About how she died?”

Y/N nods, dread filling her chest already, heart already hurting for the man she loved.

Margaret stares at her for a long moment. “Let’s start after that, shall we?”

* * *

_Even if he didn't particularly know her, James mourned the death of his mother the hardest. The young boy vanished from the grid, completely alienated himself from his kind. And everyone just let him go. No one tried to pull him back in, to save him from his future._

_Though none of the siblings would bring themselves to admit it, worry started to manifest in their hearts for their brother. Despite the bad blood, the carnage between each and every one of them, there was a part of them, even if it was minuscule, that actually cared._

_Margaret honestly believed that disentangling himself from society might have benefitted her brother for a while. Tensions were increasing between the old gods and the new, and the_ Titanomachy  _was brewing on the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before the divines turned on one another. As a recluse, James was out of the fight, his feet out of the pools of blood being spilled._

_But then the King Hades sinks his claws into his son and drags him, kicking and screaming, into the battle. Only a kid, James had a sword and shield forced into his hands._

_He wasn’t a brutal soul until the war; that was what changed him. Margaret witnessed it first hand on the training grounds of Olympus. James, she thought, was the only one out of her siblings that contained any sort of compassion, a moral compass. There was a part of him that was inherently…human._

_Maybe that’s why he was so easily compromised by her - that power-hungry wicked witch. Wanda._

She _took advantage of a broken man’s heart and turned him ravage._

_Margaret remembers the first time seeing her. The training grounds were filled to the brim with the next generation of new gods, their parents watching from the sidelines as they trained to be the new wave of warriors._

_She strolled through the gates next to her mother, the ever lovely, ever vicious Hecate. Wanda was beautiful with long, fiery hair almost as red as the glow surrounding each of her hands._

_Margaret watches her brother stumble in his footsteps, eyes wide in wonder, so captivated that the weapon in his hand clatters to the floor._

_And, in that moment, Margaret knew that girl had him wrapped around her finger. Dread filled her chest at the thought._

* * *

“The Hecate legacy is notorious for… _grandiose_  entrances.” Margaret laughs bitterly. “The legacy is also infamous for trapping powerful beings.”

“So that’s what she did?” Y/N asks. “She trapped James? How?”

She can’t imagine James being trapped, cornered like some caged animal. He was too strong, too powerful for that. 

“Wanda sunk her teeth into him, manipulated him like he was nothing more than a puppet.” Margaret glares in memory. “And, while I wasn’t the nicest sister to James, I had a bad feeling about her, so I went to him with it. I wanted to make him see reason. Her legacy wasn’t a web he wanted to be entangled in.”

“But he didn’t listen.”

Margaret nods, eyes rolling. “Of course he didn’t. He’s as stubborn as his father was, that self-serving bastard. My warning only served to push him further into her greedy clutches.”

“And?” Y/N knew there was more. There is always more to the story.

“They eloped six months before he was sent to war with Hades.” 

* * *

 _“You did_ what _?”_

_James actually flinched as Margaret screamed at him, the rest of their feuding clan standing behind her, looking less than happy. His eyes flashed black as he stepped away from her_

_“I married her.” James reveals.  
_

_“Are you out of your fucking_ mind _?” Margaret’s own eyes flashed red. Anger coursed through her body, and she had half the mind to strike him where he stood. “She will do nothing but ruin your life!”  
_

_“She’s mending my broken life!” James’ voice shakes as he yells. “She’s mending the life that you people tore apart!”  
_

_“We’re your family, James.” Bruce mutters.  
_

_“She killed my fucking mother!” an accusing finger is pointed towards Natalia, who merely stares at him blankly. “The minuscule thing that bonded us as family is fucking dead. All we’ve ever sought from one another is to inflict pain.”_

_“She was our mother, too!” The words are spoken by an outraged Thor.  
_

_The laugh that falls from James’ lips is completely humorless. “Then why weren’t any of you at her funeral?”  
_

_“You weren’t there either, James.” Natalia points out, voice low and threatening. “Don’t you dare be hypocritical.”  
_

_“You weren’t there because you didn’t care.” James’ eyes water. “I wasn’t there because I would’ve shattered had I laid eyes upon her casket! I loved her!”  
_

_“You didn’t know her! Just like we didn’t! She didn’t love us, James! She just wanted power!” Margaret can’t believe her brother could be this dense. “And your so-called wife? That’s all she wants, too! She’s just like our whore mother!”_

_“Shut your fucking mouth!”  
_

_With a wave of his hand, Margaret is thrown against the wall, an invisible vice around her throat. James just watches her, seething, teeth bared in anger._

_Margaret knew Natalia wasn’t going to be the only sibling to murder their own flesh and blood, but she never imagined that James would be the next one to hold the scythe and play Death._

* * *

“He loved his mother more than he let me believe.” Y/N mutters quietly. 

Margaret nods. “Though he didn’t know her, her death cut him deep, left gruesome open wounds. Rather than help them heal, Wanda let them fester. She took advantage of his hurt and turned him into a monster. She molded him into the exact replica of his father.” 

Tales of the first Hades were used as horror stories in some divine households. He was absolutely ruthless and thrived from wreaking havoc and spilling blood. His destructive reputation exceeded that of Ares’. 

Y/N couldn’t imagine her James being that evil. 

“All Wanda sought was power, as we had told him.” Margaret continues. “When his father died, James acquired the throne and she was by his side, the revered Queen of the Underworld, the co-ruler of the realm. But she didn’t want to share the power with him, she wanted it for herself.”

Y/N’s eyes widened. “She tried to…?”

“Murder him.” Margaret finishes. “If the current Hades dies and is married, his or her spouse takes on the title until the progeny are able to assume power, if there are any.”

“So she loved his  _title_ , not him.”

“Precisely. It wasn’t too long after he returned from war, still healing from where he was struck. His left arm was completely useless at the time; she tried to take advantage of his weakness.”

“But…”

“But…he slit her throat after she tried to attack him in bed with one of his father’s daggers.”

“In bed, like  _in bed_?” Margaret’s pointed look answers her question. 

“He loved her, young one. She was his first love, and to have been betrayed like that completely ruined him. You are the first woman he’s loved since her.”

“And I left him.”

“You did.” Margaret squeezes her hand. “But you can right it. Go to him, Y/N. Make amends.”


End file.
